Jonny Gascoigne: Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah hailed for classy gesture after well-known fan's death
Prince Abdullah hailed for classy gesture after tragic death of well-known Sheffield United fan
Prince Abdullah, the owner of Sheffield United, has been hailed as a "top man" after supporting a fundraising appeal to pay for the funeral of a well-known Blades fan. Jonny Gascoigne, the founder of the Shoreham View YouTube channel and a familiar faces to Unitedites across the globe, tragically passed away recently.
His sad passing sparked a raft of tributes, with United stars past and present Oli McBurnie and Ollie Arblaster amongst those to send their condolences to Jonny's heartbroken dad Kevin. In the wake of his passing, a fundraising appeal was set up to help the family with Jonny's funeral expenses and the original target of £5,000 was smashed quickly.
The Prince was amongst those to chip in, with a £500 donation, with the funds also earmarked to help Jonny's family with additional bills. Posting online, Kevin - who orignally broke the heartbreaking news of his son losing his “long fight with mental illness” - wrote: "It is beyond words to express our gratitude for all the donations that have already been made and I would like to personally thank [Prince Abdullah] for such an amazing gesture.
"Being a Blade is truly amazing and so many non-blades too that Jonny had great banter with - thank you all. I just can’t believe how kind people are and the support we have received - thank you." Kevin added that the Prince’s donation “means a lot, especially as he got quite a bit of stick on the channel - he’s a good man and we are really grateful to him.”
Unitedites will have their own chance to pay tribute to Jonny during next Wednesday's home clash with Swansea City at Bramall Lane. A piece will appear in the matchday programme while supporters will be invited to take part in a minute's applause in the 50th minute of the game, when Jonny's face will appear on the big screen.
To donate to the fundraiser visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/jonny-gascoigne.