Everton legends and fans attended a special memorial service for Kevin Campbell on Wednesday to pay their respects to the former Toffees striker.
Campbell passed away at the age of 54 in June after falling unwell earlier in the month, leading to an outpouring of emotion from the football community.
The popular forward spent six years at Everton between 1999 and 2005, and left a lasting impression.
Club legends including David Unsworth, Peter Reid and Graham Stuart all made their way to St Luke’s Church in Liverpool on Wednesday to say their final farewell to Campbell.
Campbell’s son, Tyrese, who currently plays for Sheffield United in the Championship, was also in attendance.
Former Everton striker Kevin Campbell passed away in June at the age of 54
Everton legend David Unsworth (pictured) attended a special memorial service for Campbell on Wednesday
Campbell’s son, Tyrese (pictured), who now plays for Sheffield United, was at the service
The memorial service was held at St Luke’s Church in Liverpool (pictured)
He posted an emotional tribute to his dad in the hours after his death on Instagram that read: ‘I appreciate my Dad was admired by many and the outpouring of love has been some comfort for us as a family, so thank you for that at such a difficult time.
‘The pain of this is indescribable and as a son you look at your Dad as invincible. He is my idol, the one who I wanted to be when I grew up.
‘He was the life and soul of every party and room he blessed, a one in a million person that was loved by everyone, a special special person. I’ll miss you Dad.
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‘I would now ask that the privacy of our family is respected as we mourn the loss of an irreplaceable father, brother, uncle and all round amazing human being. Love you always Dad.’
Campbell’s close friend Frank Sinclair also went to the memorial service. The former Chelsea defender paid a touching tribute to Campbell in June by wearing a bow tie for Sky Sports’ coverage of the Carabao Cup draw. Campbell was often seen sporting a bow tie during media appearances for the likes of Sky Sports and Arsenal.
The club legends and close friends of Campbell were joined by fans who wanted to bid farewell to him.
Campbell had a glittering career that also saw him play for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Trabzonspor, West Brom and Cardiff City before hanging up his boots in 2007.
The memorial service programme showed Campbell with his arms aloft and a beaming smile on his face
He scored 60 goals for the Gunners and was fondly remembered by ex-Arsenal boss George Graham, who recalled his final meeting with Campbell for Mail Sport in June.
But many will remember Campbell best for his time at Goodison Park, so it was only fitting that the picture on the front of the memorial service programme showed showed the frontman in the famous blue shirt with his arms raised aloft and a beaming smile on his face.
