- Ex-Reading and Celtic full-back diagnosed with stage four Cholangiocarcinoma
- Stuart Gray, son of Leeds United legend Eddie has passed away aged 50
- Gray represented Reading, Rushden & Diamonds, and Oxford after Celtic spell
Stuart Gray, a former Celtic player, has passed away at the age of 50, only a few months after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
The club issued a statement expressing profound sadness at the news, extending thoughts and prayers to Stuart’s family and friends during this difficult period.
In a gesture of tribute, the Celtic players will wear black armbands in honor of Stuart during today’s match against Ross County.
Gray was a midfielder and the son of Eddie and nephew of Frank Gray, both distinguished members of the renowned Leeds United side from the early 1970s, and began his football journey through the youth ranks at Celtic.
He marked his debut in a 1-0 home victory against Aberdeen on May 1, 1993. During his tenure with the Hoops, Stuart accumulated 32 appearances, scoring a goal in a notable 4-1 home win over Raith Rovers in May 1996.
Celtic issued a statement expressing profound sadness at the news, extending thoughts and prayers to Stuart’s family and friends during this difficult period
Over £50,000 was raised before he passed away on a GoFundMe set up by Gray himself
Ex-Reading and Celtic full-back diagnosed with stage four Cholangiocarcinoma
His career trajectory led him to join Tommy Burns’ Reading side in 1998, where he spent three years before moving on to play with Rushden & Diamonds for an additional four years, amassing 142 appearances during his time with the club.
Stuart, a father of five, faced a challenging battle with his health after being diagnosed with stage four cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer originating in the bile ducts, in September.
Acknowledging the advanced stage of the disease, Stuart took the initiative to launch a GoFundMe page aimed at supporting his own medical treatment.
The grim reality of cholangiocarcinoma lies in its tendency to reach an advanced stage before showing symptoms, making surgery, the only known cure, often unfeasible.
Alongside this cancer diagnosis, Stuart also grappled with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease with no known cure. Medical professionals suggested that PSC likely played a role in the development of the cancer.
Over £50,000 was raised before he passed away.
