Kevin Campbell, the former Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Everton striker, has died at the age of 54.
Campbell’s death was announced almost two weeks after it was revealed he was in hospital with a serious illness. He was a hugely popular figure within the game, a league title winner with Arsenal, and a charismatic TV pundit in more recent years.
“We are devastated to learn that our former striker Kevin Campbell has died after a short illness,” Arsenal tweeted. “Kevin was adored by everyone at the club. All of us are thinking of his friends and family at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Kevin.”
Everton paid their respects in a message that referred to him as “Super Kev”. The club said: “Not just a true Goodison Park hero and icon of the English game, but an incredible person as well – as anyone who ever met him will know.”
Born in Lambeth, Campbell was a prolific goalscorer at youth level for Arsenal and made his first-team debut against Everton in 1988. He scored eight goals in 10 games during the run-in of the 1990-91 season, when George Graham’s team won the First Division championship for the second time in three years. He won a League Cup and FA Cup Double with Arsenal in 1993 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup against Parma the following year, starting in an attack that also included Alan Smith and Paul Merson.
Campbell left his boyhood club in 1995, having scored 55 goals in 210 appearances despite fierce competition for places in a team strengthened by the arrival of Ian Wright in 1991. He made a £2.5m move to Forest, where he suffered relegation from the top flight in 1997 but played an instrumental part in their return as Championship winners the following season with 23 goals.
After a brief and unhappy spell at Trabzonspor, where he was racially abused by the club chairman, Mehmet Ali Yilmaz, Campbell signed for Everton on loan in March 1999. What was intended to be a short-term deal turned into a highly successful, and lasting, connection with the club.
Everton were fighting relegation when Campbell arrived but he made an immediate impact on and off the pitch, galvanising the dressing room and scoring nine goals in his first eight games as Walter Smith’s side pulled clear of trouble. The move was made permanent for £3m that summer and he was also Everton’s leading goalscorer for the next two seasons. Campbell scored the winner in the Merseyside derby at Anfield in 1999 – Everton’s last win away at Liverpool until 2021 – and was the club’s first black captain. He remained a regular visitor to Goodison long after his playing career was over, and a hugely popular figure among supporters.
Campbell also had spells at West Bromwich Albion, where he again helped a relegation-threatened club climb to safety in the Premier League, and Cardiff. He retired after being released by the Welsh club in May 2007. The former England Under-21s international went on to forge a successful career as a TV commentator and pundit, his warmth, humour and decency shining through on screen as it did whenever he entered a room.
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“Life can be so cruel at times,” said his former Forest teammate Mark Crossley. “Absolutely devastated with news of my ex-Forest teammate Kevin Campbell’s passing: a true gentleman, a great player, a shining light of a dressing room, fun-loving guy, thoughts are with all his family and friends.”
Away from football Campbell briefly ran a record label, 2 Wikid, but the company became embroiled in a legal dispute with its first signing, Mark Morrison. He also co-owned a high-end security company. Campbell’s son, Tyrese, played for Stoke City until he was released last month.