2024 passed away!

Sports world mourns the loss of legend and beacon of hope

Bayern and DFB legend Franz Beckenbauer also had to be bid farewell.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The news of the death of soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer not only shocked sports fans at the beginning of the year. There was also great sadness in Austria in December when the death of former team manager Dietmar Constantini was announced. In 2024, it was also time to say goodbye to ski coaching legend Karl "Charly" Kahr. Some died far too young in the line of duty.

Beckenbauer was 78 years old and was one of the all-time greats in soccer. He became world champion as a player and coach and brought the 2006 World Cup to Germany. The world bid him farewell at an emotional funeral service in Munich's Allianz Arena. This year, former German world champion Bernd Hölzenbein (78), former team player Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (85) and Wilfried "Willi" Lemke (77) also died as a result of a brain haemorrhage.

There was also great sympathy at the farewell to Christoph Daum (70), who also coached Vienna's Austria during his long career and won the league and cup double with them in 2003. Andreas Brehme, the scorer of the winning goal in the 1990 World Cup final against Argentina, suffered a cardiac arrest at the age of 63.

Great mourning in the soccer world
Funeral services were held in Brazil for Mario Zagallo (92) and in Argentina for César Luis Menotti (85). Italy mourned Luigi "Gigi" Riva (79), Sweden Sven-Göran Eriksson (76). Italy lost one of its most popular soccer heroes, Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci (59), top scorer at the 1990 home World Cup, the Netherlands Johan Neeskens (73) and Portugal Artur Jorge (78). FIFA mourned the loss of former interim president Issa Hayatou (77) from Cameroon.

Didi Constantini

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The co-founder of RB Leipzig's soccer philosophy and mentor to Ralf Rangnick, Helmut Groß, died at the age of 77. Domestic soccer mourned not only Constantini, who made his dementia illness public in 2019, but also Hans Fedl (72), honorary president of soccer champions Sturm Graz, and Admira legend Anton Herzog (82). Herbert Matschek, president of Bundesliga soccer club Austria Klagenfurt, died of cancer at the age of just 56.

Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka mourned the death of her former partner, former NHL player Konstantin Koltsov (42). Former US football star O.J. Simpson (76), who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife in a spectacular trial in 1995, succumbed to cancer. Willie Mays, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, died of heart failure at the age of 93.

Domestic sport also bid farewell in many cases
Austria also had to bid farewell to former sporting greats: ski coaching legend "Charly" Kahr turned 91. Rudolf Mitteregger, three-time winner of the Tour of Austria, died at 80, sidecar specialist Christian Parzer was 61 after a long illness, Sonja Pachta, a pioneer in Austrian women's tennis, was 83 and former world-class athlete Heinrich Thun was 85. Boxing mourned the loss of trainer and official Daniel Nader, who lost his battle against the incurable neurological disease MSA at the age of just 42.

Some athletes lost their lives far too young in the pursuit of their profession. The Tour of Austria mourned the fatal accident of Norwegian professional cyclist André Drege (25). For 18-year-old Swiss Muriel Furrer, the junior world championship road race ended fatally, for 19-year-old Italian ski racer Matilde Lorenzi a training session on the Schnals Glacier in South Tyrol.

Fatal crash at the Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally ended in tragedy: Spanish motorcycle rider Carles Falcon (45) died of massive injuries following a crash. The Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo (27) suffered a cardiovascular arrest. The cause of death of Montenegro's national soccer goalkeeper Matija Sarkic (26) was not disclosed, as he had only been on the pitch a few days earlier.

The British middleweight boxer Sherif Lawal (29) collapsed after a punch on his professional debut and could not be saved. British event rider Georgie Campbell (36) was felled by a fall with her horse. Surfer, lifeguard and actor Tamayo Perry (49) was the victim of a shark attack off the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The well-known British extreme kayaker Bren Orton (29) died in Lage Maggiore.

Tragic deaths in the marathon scene
Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei (33) fell victim to a crime, dying as a result of an arson attack by her partner. Former Vienna Marathon winner Samson Kandie (53) died in his Kenyan homeland from injuries sustained in a brutal robbery. Golf professionals were stunned to learn that two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray (30) had committed suicide after withdrawing from the tournament in Fort Worth.

For some athletes, death away from sport came in the form of misfortune: an emotional funeral service was held in the Kenyan highlands to bid farewell to marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum (24), who died in a traffic accident. NHL forward Johnny Gaudreau (31) did not survive a traffic accident while cycling. US football player Khyree Jackson (24) died in a car accident, as did 18-year-old Belgian cycling talent Miel Dekien. Kitesurfer Jackson James Rice (18) from Tonga, who had qualified for the Olympic Games, died in a diving accident.

Great mourning for NHL star Johnny Gaudreau

(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

US sport mourned the loss of some of its greats: In basketball, for example, NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo (58) and Jerry West (86) died. Baseball said goodbye to Pete Rose (83). Sumo legend Akebono Taro died at the age of 54. The Hawaiian was the first foreign-born wrestler to reach the rank of grand champion in Japan.