Grimsby Town mourns death of Alex Hughes, 38; Mark Hughes pays tribute to son

Former Wales and Man Utd striker Mark Hughes has released a statement following the tragic passing of his son Alex, aged 38; Grimsby Town, where Alex worked as player recruitment lead, have also released a statement paying tribute to him.

Mark Hughes says he and his family are heartbroken following the tragic passing of his son Alex, aged 38.

Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Wales striker Hughes paid tribute to his son in a statement released by the LMA, which read: "Jill and I are totally heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved son Alex.

A statement posted on the Grimsby website on Sunday read: "Everyone at Grimsby is devastated to learn of the sudden and unexpected passing of our player recruitment lead, Alex Hughes.

"Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, devoted husband and father to Jessica and their two beautiful children, Sebastian and Leonardo.

"Alex was Player Recruitment Lead at Grimsby Town FC, and had many good friends and colleagues. He will be so deeply missed by us all.

"We ask for privacy during this sad time as we come to terms with our family's loss.

"The Hughes family."

As reported by BBC, Alex Hughes had a brief playing career with Stockport and Wrexham before joining Blackburn in 2007, working as a performance analyst during his father's time as manager.

He was player recruitment lead at Grimsby after joining the League Two club in 2025. Prior to that, he had worked in roles with Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, AFC Fylde and Morecambe.