Former Aston Villa striker Gary Shaw has died aged 63, the club has announced.
Shaw was a player at Villa who won the First Division title in 1981 and the European Cup the following year.
The striker, who has also featured for Blackpool, Walsall, Kilmarnock and Shrewsbury, was recently in hospital after suffering a head injury in a fall.
A statement from Villa read: “Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of one of our European Cup-winning heroes, Gary Shaw.
Gary Shaw (left) celebrates with Tony Morley and Peter Withe after Villa beat Bayern Munich 0-1 to lift the European Cup in 1982.
“Gary was one of us, a talented striker who delighted the supporters with his goalscoring exploits that led Villa to success in the 1980s. For a player so many idolised on the pitch, there was personal praise too.
“He passed away peacefully in the early hours of this morning surrounded by his family. The family have asked Aston Villa to make a statement on their behalf.
“The thoughts of everyone at the club go out to Gary’s family and loved ones at this very difficult time.”
Gary Shaw pictured with Aston Villa teammate Peter With at Villa Park in 1981
Shaw, from Solihull, joined Villa as a trainee and scored 79 goals in 213 appearances, 20 of which came in the club’s title-winning season. He was subsequently named the PFA Young Player of the Year.
He was a key member of the team that won the European Cup in 1982, beating Bayern Munich in the final. Shaw scored three goals in the competition, including one in the quarter-final against Dynamo Kyiv.
He left Villa in 1988 and went on to play in Denmark, Austria and Hong Kong before retiring in 1992. He later worked as a statistical analyst and was also Villa’s match ambassador.
