TERRY YORATH, a hero of the tragic Bradford stadium fire, has sadly passed away.
The former Leeds United and Wales midfielder died this week, aged 75, following a short battle with illness.
Tributes have poured in for the late Yorath, who was a beloved figure.
Yorath had the rare honour of playing and managing his country, who he coached for five years from 1988 to 1993.
He also managed Bradford during his time in charge of The Dragons.
And he played a pivotal role in saving several Bradford fans’ lives in the 1985 stadium fire disaster at Valley Parade, which tragically resulted in the deaths of 56 supporters and injured a further 265.
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Yorath, who was a player for the Batams at the time, helped evacuate several supporters by running onto the pitch and aiding the evacuations.
Among those safely evacuated were Yorath’s family, which included his then-12-year-old daughter, Gabby.
Recalling the horrific ordeal, Gabby said: “We had this naive optimism that everyone would either make their way down to the pitch, or out of the back door like we had.”
She added: “In the immediate aftermath dad was thrown into this surreal life of funerals and inquests which probably took him away from the reality.
“He wasn’t immediately introspective. It was all a process. It’s not something he willingly starts talking about.
“Yet he was determined to shield his children from the harsh realities of what he had seen.
“He saw and smelt and heard things that he didn’t want to talk to his children about.”
Yorath would carry the trauma he experienced that day with him for the rest of his life.
But just a few years later, he’d suffered unimaginable heartache when his son Daniel passed away aged 15.
Daniel, a once promising footballer, died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 1992 after a kickabout in the garden with his dad.
In an ITV documentary, Yorath said of Daniel’s death: “When Dan collapsed, I thought he was taking the mickey.
“But when I got to him there was nothing there.
“He just made a noise, a kind of last breath. I tried my hardest to get him back to life.”
He added: “A woman came to the house about a week after Dan died.
“She said, ‘When people say to you time’s a healer, it’s not.’
“And I thought, ‘Why would she come to the house and say that? I didn’t have a clue.
It’s something you never get over.u0022
Terry Yorath on the death of his son, Daniel
“But she’s dead right though. It’s not a healer. It’s something you never get over.”
Daniel’s passing, understandably, had a devastating effect on the entire Yorath family.
Gabby said of her brother’s passing’s effect on her dad: “Daniel’s death definitely increased his misery.
“His down days became longer and he was reaching for a glass of whiskey at the end of the day to try and numb the pain.
“It’s self medicating isn’t it? And you can understand when somebody’s lost a child, how that happens.
“But I think that kind of spiralled.”
The Yorath family announced Terry’s passing in a heartbreaking statement on Thursday.
It read: “To most he was a revered footballing hero, but to us he was Dad; a quiet, kind and gentle man.
“Our hearts are broken but we take comfort knowing that he will be reunited with our brother, Daniel.”
Terry is survived by his children Gabby, Louise, and Jordan.
