Manchester United and England football star Sir Bobby Charlton died five days after a fall in his care home, an inquest heard.
The hearing into the death of the 86-year-old member of the 1966 World Cup squad opened at Chester Coroner’s Court in Warrington on Wednesday.
According to a transcript of the hearing, Sir Bobby was taken to Macclesfield Hospital after the fall in which he fractured his ribs.
After being assessed by doctors at The Willows care home, he was taken to hospital where he received “end-of-life care”.
The causes of death were given as “traumatic hemopneumothrax, falls and Alzheimer’s dementia.”
The document states: “Retired legendary Manchester United footballer Sir Bobby Charlton was admitted to Macclesfield Hospital aged 86 following a fall in his nursing home on October 16, 2023.
“He broke his ribs when he got up and fell against a window sill because he was unsteady on his feet.
“He had been living at The Willows since July 2023, initially for recovery and for the final two months of his life.
“After the fall, he continued to mobilize as usual until it was discovered that he had swelling on his back.
“He was examined by the GP and taken to hospital where he received end-of-life care and sadly passed away at 3.50am on October 21, 2023.”
Tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton before the Premier League game at Old Trafford (Martin Rickett/PA)
(PA cable)
Manchester United have confirmed that a memorial service honoring Sir Bobby’s life will be held at Manchester Cathedral on Monday November 13th at 2pm.
The procession to the service passes Old Trafford, where he is immortalized in the United Trinity statue alongside Denis Law and George Best.
United said in a statement: “The service will honor Sir Bobby’s incredible life as a husband, father, grandfather and of course one of the finest footballers this country has ever produced.”
“The procession to the cathedral passes Old Trafford for a moment of reflection and offers fans the opportunity to say a final farewell to a true Manchester United legend.
“Further details of the memorial service and procession will be announced in due course.
“The family will then hold a private funeral ceremony for Sir Bobby and have requested privacy regarding arrangements in this regard.”
Since his death, bunches of flowers, scarves, shirts and messages have been left at the United Trinity statue.
The club says memorabilia has been “carefully relocated to the Old Trafford Museum and will join the tributes left by fans following the death of Sir Matt Busby in 1994”.
The flowers will be composted and used in the gardens at United’s Carrington training ground, with the tributes’ plastic removed and recycled.
