'Truly overwhelmed' - Kevin Keegan's family release new statement after Newcastle United & Liverpool tributes
Newcastle United news: Kevin Keegan’s family have issued a statement following the many tributes to the footballing legend.
Kevin Keegan’s family have stated they have been ‘truly overwhelmed’ by the tributes and affection shown for the former Newcastle United player and manager following his death at the age of 75.
Tributes have flooded in since it was announced on July 20 that the ex-Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle striker had died after a short battle with stomach cancer.
Since then, a series of flowers, shirts, scarves and even Newcastle Brown Ale bottles were placed alongside the Alan Shearer and Sir Bobby Robson statues outside St James’ Park by supporters from far and wide. Newcastle chief executive officer David Hopkinson has also suggested that a permanent tribute to Keegan was being arranged by the club.
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A private funeral is due to take place in the next few weeks, while Newcastle will later host a memorial service for a man who was revered both as a player and as a manager on Tyneside.
Newcastle’s opening match of the Premier League season will see them face another of Keegan’s former clubs, Liverpool, at St James’ Park. Supporters of both clubs are arranging a pre-match tribute in honour of Keegan.
A statement from the Keegan family, shared by the League Managers Association, read: “Following the devastating news of Kevin’s passing, we would like to thank the vast number of people who have expressed condolences and shared their memories of Kevin in recent days.
“As a family we have been truly overwhelmed by the volume of tributes and are grateful for them all.
“We will be holding a small private funeral in the coming weeks and request ongoing privacy and respect whilst we navigate this extremely difficult period as a family.
“Details of a memorial service hosted by Newcastle United that will take place at a later date will be communicated in due course.”
The family have also requested, in lieu of flowers, donations to two charities close to the two-time Ballon d’Or winner’s heart.
They have set up a GoFundMe page asking for donations to the Christie Charity, which funds enhanced services, pioneering research, education and additional support services for cancer patients and their families, and Football Families for Justice, a charity set up by World Cup winner Nobby Stiles’ son John to support former players suffering from neurodegenerative diseases caused by heading the ball.
Donations can be made via: gofundme.com/f/raising-money-for-charity-in-memory-of-kevin-keegan