Emotional tribute to a Magpies legend who paid the ultimate price

JOHN Tudor stands as a Newcastle United beacon to footballers who have fallen foul of the dreaded curse of dementia.

- JOHNGIBSON

The Tudor King, right hand man to SuperMac, was a fabulous header of the ball which is believed by his nearest and dearest to have significantly contributed to his demise.

We have in recent times also lost the likes of double Wembley medallist Tommy Cassidy and Fairs Cup winner John McNamee to dementia.

It is said that former professional footballers are approximately 3.5 times more likely to die from a neurodegenerative disease than the general population and on a wider scale the game has also witnessed the departure of Bobby and Jack Charlton, Nobby Stiles, Denis Law, Martin Peters, Gordon McQueen, Ray Wilson, John Astle, Joe Kinnear and Billy McNeill due to a crippling disease that eats away at memory and dignity.

Where once it was hardly talked about due to a totally misconceived idea of some sort of stigma there are thankfully now flag bearers prepared to shout from the rooftops in the hope of increasing awareness, acceptance, and perhaps eventually even finding a cure. John Tudor's wife Anne donated his brain to medical science in an effort to help the ongoing fight.

To pay tribute to Tudor who died in February aged 78 and to draw further awareness to a terrible plight, Newcastle fan Angela Stanger-Leathes has considerably updated her book on John with the full cooperation of the Tudor family.