England cricket icon Graham Thorpe tragically died in 2024 after taking his own life at the age of 55 and his son Henry has opened up on the support he received from former England boss Gareth Southgate
Graham Thorpe tragically passed away in 2024(Image: Getty Images)
The son of England cricket icon Graham Thorpe has opened up on a message of support he received from ‘hero’ Gareth Southgate after his dad’s death. Thorpe heartbreakingly passed away back in 2024 after taking his own life.
He died aged 55, just two years after losing his job as England assistant coach. His son Henry has since admitted how hard he found it coming to terms with his dad’s passing.
Speaking in an interview with The Telegraphhe revealed that he didn’t learn of the true circumstances of his death until six months after, while he also said that he ‘spiralled’ and ‘was in a really dark place’ afterwards.
But he has revealed how a touching message from former England football boss Southgate helped him get through one of the toughest moments of his life.
He said: “Gareth was at my dad’s day at the Oval last summer. I wasn’t having a great day, to be honest, it was a really tough day. I really wanted to talk to him but it just wasn’t right. I was on edge.
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“I sent him a message on LinkedIn a couple of months later, not expecting him to ever see it. He wrote me an email of about 500 words.
“He was so kind in sharing his number and linking me up with other people that I’ve connected with since. From a leadership and a transformational culture perspective, he is a genuine hero of mine.”
Following his father’s death, Henry eventually left his job with M&C Saatchi Merlin. And while he is aware of the emotional toll of his passing, it has actually given him a fresh perspective of Thorpe’s career and achievements.
Henry added: “No one ever prepares you for death, no one ever prepares you for your dad to die. No one ever prepares you for a suicide death. No one ever prepares you for your dad to be Graham Thorpe and to die like that. You could sit and talk about it for hours.
“At different phases of your life you wish you had done it all differently. All these feelings that it can create within you; anger, resentment and sadness. Also just genuine pride that my dad was who he was.”
Thorpe represented England between 1993 and 2005, earning 564 caps in the process. He scored a stunning 16 test centuries during his time playing for his country.
Thorpe moved into coaching immediately after his career with England ended. He was announced as the new head coach of Afghanistan in March 2022 but fell ill before beginning the role.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
