Sir Rod Stewart, 80, issues statement following death of his ‘hero’
Sir Rod Stewart, 80, has paid a touching tribute to his “hero” Denis Law following the passing of the legendary footballer.
The Manchester United and Scotland striker died at the age of 84 on Friday.
Law, who had been nicknamed “The King” and “The Lawman” was the only Scottish footballer to have won the Ballon d’Or.
A family statement said: “It is with a heavy heart that we tell you our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He fought a tough battle but finally he is now at peace.
“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently. We know how much people supported and loved him and that love was always appreciated and made the difference. Thank you.”
Law started his career at Huddersfield Town, also had a spell in Italy with Torino and was capped 55 times for his country, scoring 30 goals making him Scotland’s joint top scorer of all time.
He is also Manchester United’s third highest goalscorer behind Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton, with 237 goals in 404 appearances.
Law was part of the United team that became the first from England to lift the European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 in 1968.
Following the news, Sir Rod Stewart issued a touching tribute to the footballing legend.
“Farewell my hero,” the 80-year-old music icon wrote followed by a simple “rest in peace.”
Accompanying the statement was a heartwarming image of Stewart and Law on a pitch, arms over each other’s shoulders, wearing Scotland kits.
Stewart, despite being born in North London, has been a lifelong Scotland fan following in the footsteps of his Scottish father Robert Joseph Stewart.
“For all intents and purposes, I’m English. I’ve never pretended to be a Scotsman,” the Maggie May hitmaker explained.
Stewart explained that his Edinburgh born father had “a big bearing” on the footballing opinions of he and his brothers.
Despite his father being a fan of Edinburgh club Hibernian, Stewart has been a lifelong fan of the Glaswegian giants Celtic.
Speaking to TalkSport, the 80-year revealed he became a hoops follower after meeting legendary Celtic manager Jock Stein following a gig in Glasgow.
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Following the announcement of Law’s death, others paid tribute to the footballing icon.
A spokesman from his old club, Manchester United, said: “Everyone at Manchester United is mourning the loss of Denis Law, the King of the Stretford End, who has passed away, aged 84. Our deepest condolences go out to Denis’s family and many friends. His memory will live on forever more.”
Fellow Red Devils alum Wayne Rooney wrote on social media: “Legend. Thoughts with all Denis’ family and friends.”
The Denis Law Legacy Trust wrote: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Denis and our foremost thoughts are with his family and close friends during this very sad time. Denis was Scotland’s greatest ever footballer and a proud Aberdonian.”