Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has died at the age of 78, the Toffees have announced.
In a statement, the club said he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and loved ones on Monday, 23 October, following his battle with cancer.
Tributes have been coming in, with Everton cult hero Gerard Deulofeu taking to social media to pay tribute to Wright.
“Bill rest in peace,” he wrote on X. “You always believed in your magic guy”.
Jamie Carragher also paid tribute to Kenwright on the social media platform.
“Really sad news this,” he wrote. “A huge Evertonian who served & loved his club to bits.
“I’ll never forget his & Everton’s support every year around the Hillsborough memorial. RIP Bill”
Liverpool FC also paid tribute to Kenwright. They wrote: “Rest in peace, Bill Kenwright.
“The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool FC are with Bill’s family, friends and everyone at Everton”
Everton said it was “in mourning” following the death of Kenwright, who was the club’s longest-serving chairman for more than a century.
“The club has lost a chairman, a leader, a friend, and an inspiration,” Everton added.
Kenwright had been on the board at Everton since 1989, taking over as chairman at Goodison Park in 2004.
In 2016, he oversaw the sale of 49.9% of the club – including half of his own stake – to Farhad Moshiri, who became majority shareholder two years later.
Kenwright remained active at Everton under Moshiri and was working towards the proposed sale of the Toffees to a new owner, 777 Partners.
Born in Liverpool, Kenwright was also one of the UK’s most successful theatre producers.
His journey in the world of arts began when he played Gordon Clegg in Coronation Street between 1968 and 2012.
During his career in theatre production, Kenwright worked on a string of hits.
These included Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers, and Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Kenwright was awarded a CBE for his services to film and theatre in the 2001 New Years Honours List.