Aston Villa icon Gary Shaw left nearly £300,000 to his family after passing away at the age of 63 last year without leaving a will.
The former Villa forward, who was part of the 1982 European Cup-winning team, is considered one of the club’s greatest-ever players. Shaw tragically passed away after sustaining a severe head injury when he fell and hit his head on a kerb.
The incident occurred on September 6, when Shaw had just exited a taxi after a night out at Birmingham’s Jam House. He was later found collapsed in the street by a neighbour, and his condition worsened, leading to his death ten days later.
Shaw, who had never married or had children, had not written a will, so a Grant of Letters of Administration was requested and issued on Monday.
This legal document allows someone to be appointed as the administrator of a deceased person’s estate if their wishes are unclear. The probate revealed Shaw’s estate had a gross value of £297,670, which was reduced to a net value of £287,027. The estate will be managed by a lawyer for the benefit of Michael Measey, believed to be a friend or relative of Shaw.
Gary Shaw, seen here playing for Aston Villa in 1982, passed away aged 63 after hitting his head on a kerb following a night out in Birmingham.
During his peak years at Villa from 1978 to 1988, the average annual wage for a top-flight footballer was about £57,000, equivalent to £1,096 per week.
Today, Shaw’s estate is less than the weekly earnings of Villa’s latest January loan signing, Marcus Rashford, who reportedly earns £300,000 per week.
On the night of his death, Shaw was placed in a taxi by friends around 1:30 am on September 6.
“At 1:30 am he was put in a taxi by friends. I can confirm he had consumed an amount of alcohol,” Shaw’s brother-in-law Philip Cutler had said in a statement.
“Sometime after getting out of the taxi, he fell and hit his head on the kerbside and lost consciousness. He was found between 2 am and 3 am, and an ambulance was called.”
Fans gathered at Villa Park to pay tribute to Shaw, who is regarded as one of the club’s greatest-ever players and a European Cup winner in 1982.
A mourner carries an Aston Villa shirt worn by Shaw as his funeral procession passes Villa Park’s Fan Zone last year.
In his prime at Villa, Shaw was earning much less than today’s top earners. Between 1978 and 1988, the average wage for a footballer was about £57,000 per year, or £1,096 per week.
A doctor later reported that Shaw had suffered a severe and widespread head injury, with no chance for surgery. He was stabilized and moved to the critical care unit. A CT scan on September 9 showed further brain deterioration, and Shaw died on September 16.
The doctor confirmed Shaw’s death was caused by the severe head injury from the fall, with hypertension contributing to it. A toxicology report revealed Shaw had an alcohol level of 221 milligrams per 100 millilitres.
Shaw, a Villa academy graduate, scored three goals in their European Cup final win over Bayern Munich in 1982 and netted 18 goals during Villa’s march to the First Division title in 1981. He scored 79 goals in 213 appearances for his beloved club, played for England under-21s, was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 1981, and won European Young Player of the Year in 1982.
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