Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell has died at the age of 54 after a short illness.
Campbell scored 148 goals in 542 appearances across eight spells with eight clubs during his career.
He won four major trophies with Arsenal and also played for Leyton Orient, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Trabzonspor, Everton, West Brom, and Cardiff.
Campbell made his final appearance as a player in February 2007 before moving into broadcasting.
Everton said earlier this month that he became ill in May and was “very unwell” in the hospital.
“We are devastated to learn that our former striker Kevin Campbell has died after a short illness,” said Arsenal.
“Kevin was adored by everyone at the club. All of us are thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Kevin.”
Everton said: “Everyone at Everton is deeply saddened by the death of our former striker Kevin Campbell at the age of just 54.
“Not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well – as anyone who has ever met him will know. RIP, Super Kev.”
Campbell’s son Tyrese, a striker who has spent the past seven seasons at Championship side Stoke City, thanked the public for their support.
“The pain of this is indescribable, and as a son, you look at your dad as invincible. He is my idol, the one who I wanted to be when I grew up,” said the 24-year-old.
“He was the life and soul of every party and room he blessed, a one-in-a-million person that was loved by everyone. A special, special person. I’ll miss you, Dad.
“I would now ask that the privacy of our family be respected as we mourn the loss of an irreplaceable father, brother, uncle, and all-around amazing human being.”
-
Obituary: Campbell mixed finesse and power with big personality
-
Published10 hours ago
-
Campbell won four major trophies during his time at Arsenal
After coming through Arsenal’s youth set-up, Campbell made his senior debut for the club in 1988, also having loan spells with Leyton Orient and Leicester.
He scored nine goals in 22 appearances for the Gunners during their title-winning 1990–91 campaign.
Campbell then helped the London club win the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
Forest signed Campbell in the summer of 1995, and he spent three seasons at the City Ground, scoring 22 goals in 39 games during his final term to help the club win promotion to the Premier League.
Following a short stint in Turkey with Trabzonspor, Campbell moved to Everton on loan in March 1999, scoring nine times in their final eight Premier League games to help the Toffees avoid relegation.
He was rewarded with a permanent deal that summer, and he stayed for more than five seasons.
Campbell’s playing career came to an end with spells at West Brom and Cardiff.
After his death was announced, Campbell’s former Arsenal teammate Ian Wright posted a number of crying emojis on X and images of the pair together.
Wright later spoke briefly about his friend, telling ITV: “It’s very fresh. I only heard about it this morning. My best wishes and condolences to his family.
“I can’t talk about it too much because I’m well up. He meant the whole world to a lot of people, especially myself.”
