The former England and Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu has died aged 44, Tottenham have announced.
“It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Ugo Ehiogu, our Under-23 coach,” read a Tottenham Hotspur statement.
“Ugo received immediate treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest at the training centre yesterday before being transferred to hospital, where he passed away in the early hours of the morning.
Spurs’ head of coaching and player development, Johjn McDermott, said: “Words cannot express the shock and sadness that we all feel at the club. Ugo’s immense presence will be irreplaceable. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife Gemma and his family.
“The club sends its deep condolences to Ugo’s family. Gemma has specifically asked that the family are given privacy at this difficult time.
“We should also like to place on record our thanks to all the medical professionals including those at North Middlesex University Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Hospital and their care and support.”
The Football Association has led the tributes to former England player. “We’re devastated to hear the news that Ugo Ehiogu has passed away. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all lucky enough to know himk,” read a statement on England’s official Twitter feed.
Born in Homerton, east London, Ehiogu started out on the long road towards becoming a professional at Senrab Football Club, the local team which can count the likes of Ray Wilkins, Bobby Zamora, Jermain Defoe, Sol Campbell and John Terry among its former players.
It was, though, at West Brom where the young defender would come through the youth ranks, before Ron Atkinson took him to Aston Villa in 1991 when Ehiogu was, by his own admission, “a nervous 18-year old”.
On the pitch, though, there was nothing but a calm exterior as Ehiogu developed into an integral part of the Villa rearguard alongside Paul McGrath, winning his first trophy with the League Cup in 1994, despite having missed a penalty in the semi-final shoot-out victory over Tranmere.
He would become a cult figure at Villa Park, inheriting the number five shirt vacated by McGrath and going on to make more than 300 appearances, one of which was in the 2000 FA Cup final loss to Chelsea.
Middlesbrough came calling in November 2000, shelling out a then club-record £8m for the defender who teamed up with former Villa player Gareth Southgate as part of the Riverside revolution and he won the League Cup again in 2004 with victory over Bolton in Cardiff.
International recognition also followed as Ehiogu scored on his England debut in a 3-0 friendly victory against Spain – Sven Goran-Eriksson’s first game in charge.
However, continued knee problems would hamper his later career, which took in Leeds, Rangers and Sheffield United prior to his retirement in 2009.
Although Ehiogu eventually moved into coaching, the break from football allowed him to follow his other passion, helping to set up record label Dirty Hit, which boasts the likes of The 1975, Ben Khan, Superfood, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Fossil Collective.
In 2010, he told Skysports.com: “I miss parts of football, I miss the banter, but I was lucky enough to have 20 years of playing and that was enough of training, playing and the discipline. It had taken its toll and my mind and my body were ready for a break.
“My love of football is massive, but my love of music is amazing.
“You have people eating out of your hands when you’re singing, you have people singing the lines of your song.
“Basically, the only difference would be that, socially, when you’re a musician it seems that you can get away with doing almost anything you like. It is deemed as being what a rock star does. That balance needs to readdress itself, but I don’t think it ever will.”
Ehiogu, who admitted he “used to get psyched-up to a bit of Bon Jovi” before a match, took his first steps into coaching at Spurs’ academy under Tim Sherwood and Chris Ramsey.
He had very much bought into the philosophy to inspire the next generation, which included developing a mentoring programme for young players to highlight issues around the modern game.
“If you come to watch games at Tottenham – in particular at development level – you will notice how we try and play, in a certain way with a certain style,” he said in a 2013 column for the Daily Mail.
“My hope is to see an England team that tries to play flowing interchangeable football, that can mix it with the best teams through physique and technique. It’s the way forward.”
Budding Premier League defenders needing advice on what it takes to succeed at the top would do well to look at a DVD of Ehiogu’s rock-solid performances for both club and country.
He leaves behind his wife Gemma, and a son.
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