The Life, Loss And Legacy Of Kevin Campbell

Kevin Campbell was nan all-action, hard-grafting centre-forward who delighted shot fans pinch awesome goals crossed a 19-year profession astatine nan apical of nan game.

Affectionately known arsenic Super Kev astatine Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Everton, he developed a estimation arsenic 1 of nan hardest-to-handle forwards successful nan country, while his beaming grin and joyous celebrations made him 1 of English football's astir celebrated characters.

"I deliberation if you inquire anyone who's ever been successful nan beingness of him, they'll ever retrieve him and speak astir really bully a personification he was," says Campbell's boy Tyrese, 25, who plays arsenic a striker for Sheffield United. "He carried nan full room - you knew erstwhile he was successful location because you could astir apt perceive him.

"He was a respectful, happy, affirmative person. You could moreover opportunity almost excessively bully for this Earth. A due angel sent from heaven."

In 2024 Kevin Campbell's life was tragically trim short aft he suffered a superior illness, and an investigation was launched into concerns complete his care.

After his inquest concluded connected Monday, this is nan communicative of Campbell's life, nonaccomplishment and legacy, told by those who knew him best.

Campbell will yet raise his ain family successful nan north-west, but is calved successful southbound London successful 1970, nan 2nd youngest of 7 children successful a family pinch Jamaican roots.

"We were brought up by a azygous mother truthful resources were highly tight," Campbell's younger sister Lorna says. "We utilized to play tennis against a backmost wall because we couldn't spend to prosecute a court. Kevin wanted to beryllium successful different shot teams and it was a struggle for my mother to salary each nan subs.

"We had 3 large brothers and he was ne'er acrophobic to play shot pinch them and their friends - he would conscionable return them on. And this was connected nan mean streets of Brixton. That's erstwhile he came alive."

Campbell originates to consciousness unwell. His symptoms are generic – tiredness, nonaccomplishment of appetite, a alteration successful weight.

Despite insisting that family and friends request not worry, successful nan pursuing months he has aggregate stays successful hospitals successful Greater Manchester. His quality changes arsenic he becomes visibly weaker. Doctors are unsure what is causing Campbell's symptoms.

According to an eventual inquest, he is discharged successful March 2024 aft "responding good to treatment".

Campbell's earthy talent intends he is scouted by aggregate master clubs successful London, and he chooses to motion a younker woody astatine Arsenal.

"When I joined Arsenal astatine 16, he was a young kid, astir nine," says Paul Davis, a midfielder pinch nan Gunners betwixt 1980 and 1995. "That's erstwhile I started to perceive his sanction – group saying 'this feline is scoring plentifulness of goals'.

"Then he came up to train pinch nan first team. We spot this large feline - six ft one, 17, wide, his legs are truthful heavy and chunky. And everyone's thinking, 'Wow, nary wonderment he's scoring goals'. He was conscionable knocking everybody over. We had group for illustration Kenny Sansom, Viv Anderson - elder internationals - and erstwhile they saw Kevin coming complete they would beryllium for illustration 'oh no' because they knew he would embarrass them successful training.

"When I first came done I was nan only achromatic subordinate astatine Arsenal. You've sewage to retrieve nan civilization of nan state meant it was OK to show off-colour jokes. So if you had personification that was successful nan struggle pinch you, past it made it easier.

"Kevin would ever situation things successful a measurement that didn't extremity up pinch a fight. He was capable to do it and they thought, 'actually, should I beryllium saying this, aliases should I beryllium doing this?'"

Andy Cole, nan 4th apical goalscorer successful Premier League history, originates playing alongside Campbell erstwhile some are coming done nan younker ranks astatine Arsenal. The brace harvester successful a successful FA Youth Cup campaign, and go friends.

"Unbelievable spot and power," Cole says of Campbell's style. "He was speedy arsenic well. And to beryllium adjacent Kevin didn't person to beryllium aggressive, because nan size of him meant group feared him anyway. I deliberation everyone enjoyed playing pinch him owed to nan truth that he worked truthful difficult for his team."

After making his first-team debut successful 1988, Campbell wins 2 convention titles arsenic good arsenic nan FA Cup, League Cup, and European Cup Winners' Cup successful a seven-year spell pinch nan Gunners successful which his joyous extremity celebrations and gregarious characteristic make him a instrumentality favourite.

"Kevin had a larger than life personality," Cole says. "He could locomotion into a room and ray it up - life and psyche of nan party.

"I retrieve 1 nighttime Kevin took maine out, we had a bully laugh. Unfortunately for maine I was successful nan adjacent time and Kevin had nan time off. We were doing guidelines runs astatine Highbury. Man, I couldn't raise a gallop.

"I retrieve [Arsenal youth-team coach] Pat Rice saw Kevin and said, 'Kevin! Did you return Coley retired past night?' Kevin was for illustration 'Pfft, nah, I don't cognize what you're talking about, Pat.' I was conscionable laughing… if Pat ever knew."

Campbell's information worsens and he originates a agelong enactment successful Manchester Royal Infirmary. He has mislaid complete half his assemblage weight.

Friends and family go alert that his unwellness is much superior than first believed.

His friend Jason Lavelle says: "When I went to spot him, I met his brothers beforehand and they did prep maine for nan truth that he had mislaid a batch of weight, that he wouldn't look nan aforesaid arsenic what I retrieve him as. And that was nan case.

"In my mind's mind I was still reasoning 'this is Kevin, Super Kevin, and he is earnestly sick but he is still going to propulsion done this."

Cole explains: "I sewage a telephone telephone from personification saying 'Coles, conscionable letting you cognize that Kevin's not very well'.

"I knew mentally I couldn't spot him for illustration that. I just… I couldn't bring myself to spot Kev successful that authorities aft knowing him being fit, strong."

Eventually, nan origin of Campbell's unwellness is discovered. He is suffering from infective endocarditis, an infection successful nan soul lining of nan bosom aliases its valves which affects 1 successful 30,000 group successful nan UK.

"It's often very difficult to diagnose," says Dr Debbie Harrington, advisor aortic surgeon astatine Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

"Often patients will coming pinch very non-specific symptoms that person gone connected for months. They won't needfully beryllium seen by a master successful cardiology who is going to deliberation of nan correct diagnosis."

"When we person problems wherever patients sadly don't make it, often it's because they get to america excessively precocious - that is usually nan logic why patients don't survive.

"Overall successful nan wide aesculapian organization I would opportunity location is astir apt a deficiency of consciousness of infective endocarditis - we cognize that it is really connected nan increase. Definitely consciousness is simply a big, large factor."

After leaving Arsenal to play for Nottingham Forest successful 1995, striking up a lethal striker business pinch Pierre van Hooijdonk, Campbell spends a little spell pinch Trabzonspor successful Turkey.

But Campbell is racially abused by nan club's president aft signing, and 7 months later moves backmost to nan Premier League, joining Everton. There, he becomes nan club's first achromatic captain, scores important goals to support nan Toffees successful nan apical flight, and mentors a young Wayne Rooney.

"He was an inspiration, really," Rooney says. "Everton were struggling for a fewer years and he galvanised nan full club.

"He helped maine a batch - ever talking to maine passim nan game. As a young subordinate you're still learning, figuring retired really to effort and play nan game, really to beryllium successful nan correct positions.

"You spot him play, you spot his strengths, but really playing pinch him he was a batch cleverer than I thought he was. Back past it was large man, mini man up front. Obviously he was nan large man and I was moving disconnected him - I did a batch of moving for him!"

Campbell sets up his ain grounds label, 2 Wikid, and aft playing for West Brom and Cardiff, he retires successful 2007, embarking connected a profession successful punditry and broadcasting.

Infective endocarditis tin beryllium treated pinch antibiotics if diagnosed early. But nan struggle for test successful Campbell's lawsuit intends nan infection has worsened, starring to kidney issues, a changeable and yet fatal multi-organ failure. He dies connected 15 June.

"I was nan 1 that sewage nan telephone from nan infirmary to opportunity that Kevin wasn't going to make it, that he was having trouble breathing," Lorna says. "That was astatine 5 o'clock successful nan morning. Then it was my occupation to telephone nan remainder of nan family and show everybody nan news. Those early days erstwhile Kevin passed were very, very difficult."

Tyrese says: "Without saying it to each other, we knew it was coming. I'd opportunity we prepared. We're our Dad's kids, truthful we've sewage his strength. We were relieved yet erstwhile nan time did travel - he wasn't successful symptom immoderate much and we were astatine bid pinch that. I knew he wouldn't person wanted to beryllium that measurement and he could conscionable rest."

Campbell's 2nd boy Kyle plays arsenic a striker for Bootle FC.

"It's difficult connected nan mind arsenic good erstwhile you spot personification truthful fit, truthful powerful, truthful loving, and you're looking astatine him for illustration 'that's not him'," he says. "We ne'er really lied to each other, ne'er said 'he's going to travel backmost perfect', because sometimes successful life, it doesn't spell your way."

News of Campbell's decease is made public, shocking fans and erstwhile team-mates.

Rooney says: "It was a monolithic nonaccomplishment for everyone successful football, but for maine personally evidently playing pinch him and knowing him arsenic a person, I was devastated."

Manchester NHS Foundation Trust announces an investigation into nan value of attraction Campbell received successful nan run-up to his death. It is classed arsenic a Level 5 diligent information incident. At nan aforesaid time, an inquest is opened astatine Manchester Coroner's Court.

"When personification passes distant you conscionable want to beryllium capable to grieve knowing that it's happened, that it's disappointing it's happened, but it ends there," Cole says. "When you commencement proceeding that location could perchance beryllium this, perchance that, that conscionable hurts moreover more."

For Campbell's sons, nan investigation is rendered unimportant by nan standard of their loss.

"It tin do whatever, but it's not going to bring him back, truthful I don't spot nan constituent successful maine investing my effort and energy," Tyrese says. "For me, it wasn't really going to alteration anything, truthful there's not overmuch point."

The people is later reduced to a Level 2 diligent information incident, and nan investigation determines that Campbell's decease was "possibly avoidable but not very likely".

The inquest, overseen by nan coroner and including grounds fixed by 2 doctors progressive successful Campbell's care, finds that he died of earthy causes and adds that "missed opportunities" to correctly diagnose Campbell did "not much than minimally lend to his decease connected nan equilibrium of probabilities".

The scrutiny complete Campbell's decease and nan handling of his unwellness comes against a backdrop of wider interest astir standards of attraction successful nan NHS.

"I deliberation because of nan important financial problem nan NHS is successful we person seen a marked diminution successful nan value of diligent care," says Dr Luke Munford, elder teacher successful wellness economics astatine nan University of Manchester.

"The NHS recommends that 90% of cardiac patients are seen wrong an 18-week timeframe. In Manchester astatine nan infinitesimal that is 54%."

"Manchester receives astir £2.6bn per year, which sounds for illustration a lot, but erstwhile you disagreement that done by nan organization it serves it really isn't a awesome woody of money astatine all.

"England does suffer from a postcode lottery. People successful nan north, moreover if they person important individual wealth, are astatine nan mercy of nan section wellness and attraction system.

"If we look astatine fund cuts, austerity deed areas for illustration Manchester overmuch worse than areas successful nan south-east of England." Dr Munford adds that he is concerned location would beryllium much examples of cases wherever analyzable illnesses spell undiagnosed.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson tells nan BBC: "Kevin Campbell was a immense inspiration, and our deepest sympathies are pinch his family and friends.

"This authorities is overhauling our NHS truthful it useful for each patients, nary matter wherever they unrecorded and our basal displacement from sickness to prevention will beryllium captious successful tackling wellness inequalities, making group healthier and reducing unit connected nan NHS.

"Under our Plan for Change, we are besides prioritising diligent information and investing an other £26 cardinal successful nan NHS to trim waiting lists and prevention lives."

A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust says: "We erstwhile again connection our heavy condolences to nan family and friends of Mr Campbell for their very awesome loss. It is clear from nan inquest that everyone did their champion to attraction for him, and location is nary grounds that Mr Campbell's decease could person been avoided.

"We are committed to perpetually improving nan value of attraction we supply to our patients. Whilst location are aspects of Mr Campbell's attraction that could person been improved, nan Coroner has recovered that these did not much than minimally lend to his sad death. We person already taken learning from Mr Campbell's attraction and made improvements crossed nan Trust, and we are committed to ongoing learning and betterment for each our patients."

Campbell undertook regular charitable activity during his life, and pursuing his decease his family sets up a instauration successful his sanction which intends to amended nan lives of young group by supporting them pinch funding, projects and activities.

"The Kevin Campbell Foundation is an hold of Kevin," Lorna says. "It allows america to observe Kevin arsenic nan footballer, and nan astonishing achievements he managed complete 20 years arsenic a footballer, but it besides allows america to observe Kevin nan man."

Cole and Davis are among nan Foundation's ambassadors.

"For personification who put themselves retired for maine truthful overmuch erstwhile I was younger, it's nan slightest of things I could person done," Cole says. "He was a selfless individual, ever prepared to effort and help.

The contented Campbell imparted connected his sons will proceed to person an effect connected their careers.

"He ever told america really proud he was of america and really good we're doing," says Tyrese. "When he was sick it was 'just support going, support doing what we're doing, and support being you'."

"I've had players coming up to maine saying 'sorry to perceive astir your dad', 'you're doing really well' and stuff. It's bully because he was truthful loved and truthful respected."

For Cole, nan nonaccomplishment of Campbell has deed hard, but nan memories they shared together are a awesome comfort.

"As we say, we're not present for a agelong time, we're present for a bully time," Cole beams. "And I tin beryllium present and opportunity - Kevin had a bully time. He decidedly had a bully time."