JUST months after Liverpool’s European Cup-winning hero Joey Jones died, the Welshman’s wife has also passed away.
Jones, who was a two-time European Cup winner with Liverpool, passed away in July at the age of 70; five months before his wife Janice.
Jones spent most of his career with Wrexham and also played for Chelsea and Huddersfield Town.
In a statement on X, Wrexham wrote: “Following the recent passing of Joey Jones, all at the Football Club were saddened this weekend to learn of the passing of Joey’s beloved wife Janice after her own battle with illness.
“Our thoughts are with all of the family at this time.”
Fans have offered their condolences on social media.
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One wrote: “So sad. R.I.P. Janice, reunited [heart-shaped emoji] x”
Another commented: “Together again”
Jones made 72 appearances for Wales and when he retired from international football in 1986 was their most-capped footballer.
The left-back was the first Welsh footballer to win the European Cup in 1977.
Before Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in the final, fans unfurled a giant banner which read: “Joey ate the Frogs’ legs, made the Swiss roll and now he’s munching Gladbach.”
Jones told BBC Wales in 2014: “It was made by a couple of fans who I really respected and I think as much of that banner as I do of the medal.
“To make a banner about myself, when there were such great players at Liverpool, made me feel 10ft tall.”
He joined Wrexham as caretaker manager in 2001, but later scaled down his commitments to the Under-18s and Reserve teams.
The former 1982/83 Chelsea Player of the Year underwent cardiac surgery in 2002 and had a minor stroke in 2015.
In 2005, he wrote an autobiography titled “Oh, Joey, Joey!” about his life in football.
In the book, he detailed their post-European Cup celebrations in Rome.
He wrote: “In the dressing room the singing went on and on with all the cameras there. I never let my medal out of my hand once. I wanted to hide it in my pocket under my hanky, but I couldn’t trust it to be safe.
“A few of the lads stayed drinking until morning. Janice was ill because she’d drunk too much and on the plane home there were plenty of thick heads.
“We kept drinking on the plane all the way back to Speke airport and then took an open-top bus tour.”
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