Gary Lineker has announced the death of his dad, Barry, who passed away yesterday, and paid a touching tribute to him.
The football legend broke the news of the tragic death on Monday as he tweeted: “Deeply saddened to tell you of the passing of my dad. A special person, a popular man & a wonderful father. Will miss him greatly. RIP Dad.”
He then posted a lovely tribute to his dad on Instagram with the caption: “He worked hard, lived his life to the full and laughed his way through it right to the end. Gone but never ever forgotten. Goodbye Dad. RIP.”
Although it is unknown exactly how Barry died, Gary thanked the hospital staff who cared for his dad until his death. He tweeted: “Thank you so much for all the lovely messages. Also a big thank you to the doctors & nurses at Leicester Royal infirmary. You’re marvellous.”
Gary received thousands upon thousands of sympathetic comments from his followers and fans. One person commented their condolences saying: “I’m sorry to hear of your loss Gary. Bet he was a proud man.”
Some who knew Barry commented on Gary’s tweets, with one saying: “Mum always got our fruit and veg from Barry. A lovely man and a legend of Leicester Market. So sorry for your loss Gary.”
Gary’s dad worked on a fruit and veg stall for most of his life, and Gary spoke about his upbringing in 2013. He wrote in his column in The Express: “I had a very happy upbringing. Dad worked long hours but that provided me and my brother Wayne with a comfortable childhood.
“I think my dad is quite proud of what I’ve done with my life, and I know he enjoyed my football career.
“When I was a kid he’d take the team around in his van and he was at pretty much every game I played.”
He also spoke about his good relationship with his dad and what he learnt from him, as he added: “Something else I got from him is the importance of teaching your kids to respect others and that’s something I’ve passed on to my own children.
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“When you become a father I think you naturally follow the pattern laid down by your parents and Dad was good fun but also relatively strict.”
Gary began his football career when he was a teenager and over the years he became one of England’s best scorers. He announced his decision to retire from football in 1994 and has since presented on a range of sport shows including Match of the Day and BT Sport’s Champions League coverage.