Premier League club Aston Villa have said manager Dean Smith’s father Ron has died from COVID-19.
“The Aston Villa Family are saddened to announce that Ron Smith … has passed away at the age of 79,” the club said in a statement.
“Ron, who had recently been living in a care home after being diagnosed with dementia six years ago, contracted coronavirus four weeks ago and after a short spell in hospital passed away with his family at his side.
“A lifelong supporter, Ron was a steward at Villa Park for many years and passed on his love of the club down to his children.”
The United Kingdom has recorded more than 267,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 37,460 people losing their lives.
Last month, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lost his mother after she was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. She died in Barcelona aged 82.