Liverpool fan Andrew Devine dies 32 years after Hillsborough incident

The 1989 Hillsborough disaster was one of the most tragic episodes in footballing history and its death count is rising till today, with Andrew Devine, an ardent Liverpool fan, dying earlier this week due to irreversible brain damage, something he suffered during the 1989 Hillsborough incident.

In a statement on Liverpool football club’s website (h/t The Guardian), Devine’s family announced the news of his passing. 

“It is with great sadness and a sense of immense loss that we can confirm that Andrew Devine passed away yesterday at the premature age of 55”.

They also explained how grateful they were to have Andrew live so long even and also offered their deepest respects to the other 96 fans who passed away due to the incident.

“Our collective devastation is overwhelming but so too is the realisation that we were blessed to have had Andrew with us for 32 years since the Hillsborough tragedy”.

“As ever, our thoughts are with all of those affected by Hillsborough. We would ask that our privacy is respected at this sad time.”

95 fans died inside the stadium that day, a day when Liverpool fans hoped they could cheer on their team against Nottingham Forest as the Reds looked to secure a place in the FA Cup final. 

However, an influx of fans inside the stadium led to a lot of people being trapped in the crush in the central “pens” of the Leppings Lane terrace, in what was one of the most poorly managed crowd management episodes by the South Yorkshire police. 

Tony Bland was the 96th person to die in the Hillsborough incident as he also suffered irreversible brain damage and was granted permission by the court in 1993 to be withdrawn from life support.

Devine tried to attend as many games as possible in the last 32 years, but his death makes him the 97th fatality of this manic incident.