Gabby Logan reveals heartbreaking final chat with dad Terry Yorath
Gabby Logan has revealed her last conversation with her dad, Terry Yorath, who died following a short illness.
Gabby Logan's last conversation with her dad Terry Yorath was about his first meal at home following a stay in hospital.
The former Leeds United and Wales midfielder passed away following a short illness at the age of 75, his children Gabby, Jordan and Louise announced in a statement on Thursday morning (08.01.26).
And now Gabby has described her final moments with Terry while she sat by his bedside in St James Hospital in Leeds on Wednesday (07.01.26) - hours before she left him to host BBC's Match of the Day that evening, in which she ended up leaving mid-show to respond to a family emergency.
Taking to Instagram on Friday (09.01.26), Gabby, 52, captioned a series of photos of Terry - who was set to leave hospital on Thursday - with: "Thank you for your messages of love and support today, it has meant the world to us.
"Our Dad a warrior on the football pitch, captaining club and country, a kind hearted and generous man off it, would have hated all the attention. (Well most of it).
"The stories that have been shared by strangers with us today have been enormously comforting. He touched so many people’s lives. (sic)"
Gabby then revealed that Terry's family knew he did not have long left to live.
She continued: "We knew he had limited time, but it is still a shock. Yesterday afternoon I sat by his bed in St James Hospital Leeds and we had a debate about whether roast potatoes were better with calves liver than mash potatoes.
"That was the meal he’d decided he wanted when he went home, tomorrow. I left and went to work, he was looking forward to watching Newcastle v his beloved Leeds. He won’t go home tomorrow. But he is reunited with Daniel and that will feel like home. (sic)"
Terry's son Daniel tragically died at the age of 15 in 1992 from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a genetic condition in which the heart muscles get abnormally thick, causing great difficulty for the heart to pump blood.
The star - who had Gabby, Louise, Jordan and Daniel with his ex-wife, designer Christine Yorath - was an assistant coach at Bradford City when the Valley Parade fire - which claimed the lives of 56 fans and injured 270 - happened in May 1985.
Referencing the tragedy and losing Daniel in her emotional tribute, Gabby said: "I am sorry he had to deal with so much pain, the tragedy of the Bradford Fire was forever in his heart and losing Daniel defined the second half of his life."
And Gabby concluded by thanking Terry - who scored 11 goals in 199 appearances for Leeds over nine years, which began in 1967 - for being a wonderful dad.
She said: "Thank you Dad for instilling your passion for fairness. Thank you for playing rounders, or making us race each other after dinner, even though Louise always beat me. Thank you for not making me pay you $1,865,986 after I kept losing at cards on double or quits, when I was 8 years old.
"Thanks for teaching me the value of money by challenging me to eat a pot of mustard at dinner in return for £5 so I could buy a pair of shoes I wanted when I was 12 (even though mum was horrified).
"Thank you for giving me a life long love of sport. Thank you for being a relentless tease with a wicked sense of humour. And to the wonderful staff on J16 at Jimmys who cared for him with such tenderness, you are all Angels.
"I love you Dad (sic)."
Born in Grangetown, Cardiff, Wales, on March 27, 1950, Terry bagged the First Division title with the club in 1974, and achieved a runners-up medal in the FA Cup, European Cup and Cup Winners Cup - played 59 times for Wales as a captain.
The star - who also played for Coventry City, Tottenham Hotspur, Vancouver Whitecaps, Bradford City and Swansea City - led Wales to almost qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, which ended in a 2-1 defeat by Romania in their final qualifier.
He served as player-coach at Bradford, and was an assistant coach when the Valley Parade fire - which claimed the lives of 56 fans and injured 270 - happened in May 1985.
After retiring, Terry managed Swansea, Wales, Bradford, Cardiff, Lebanon, Sheffield Wednesday and Margate.
