Leicester City mourns ‘great man’ after Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others die in helicopter crash
Tributes have poured in for the billionaire Thai owner of Leicester City Football Club who died alongside four other people when his helicopter crashed just metres from the club’s stadium on Saturday night.
Police confirmed Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed along with two staff members, the pilot and a passenger when the aircraft fell from the sky and burst into flames outside the King Power Stadium at about 8.30pm. No one on the helicopter survived.
The four others were Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz.
Hundreds of tributes have been left outside the ground by mourners, with more messages flooding in through social media.
Leicester City confirmed 60-year-old Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who bought the club for £39 million in 2010 and led it to a first Premier League title, had died in the crash after the Foxes drew 1-1 with West Ham.
"It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium," the club said in a statement.
"The primary thoughts of everyone at the club are with the Srivaddhanaprabha family and the families of all those on-board at this time of unspeakable loss.
"In Khun Vichai, the world has lost a great man. A man of kindness, of generosity and a man whose life was defined by the love he devoted to his family and those he so successfully led.
"Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we will grieve his passing and maintain the pursuit of a vision for the Club that is now his legacy."
- Who were the victims?
Tuesday's match against Southampton in the EFL Cup and the development squad fixture against Feyenoord in the Premier League International Cup have been postponed.
The Duke of Cambridge was among those to lead tribute to Mr Srivaddhanaprabha.
Prince William, who is president of the FA, said: "I was lucky to have known Vichai for several years.
"He was a businessman of strong values who was dedicated to his family and who supported a number of important charitable causes.
"He made such a big contribution to football, not least through Leicester City's magical 2016 season that captured the imagination of the world.
Several players paid tribute on social media to Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who became chairman of the club in 2011 and is known for arriving and leaving the stadium in his helicopter at home games.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said he was “totally devastated and heartbroken” by the news and added: “It is difficult to put into words how much you have meant to this football club and to the city of Leicester.
“We now have a responsibility as a club, as players and fans to honour you. From knowing you we do this by being the family you created.”
Leicester and former England striker Jamie Vardy described Mr Srivaddhanaprabha as a “legend” and an “incredible man who had the biggest heart”.
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