On 26 November 2011, Speed appeared as a guest on the
BBC One show
Football Focus. Presenter
Dan Walker later described him as being in "fine form". He texted his friend, journalist
Bryn Law, at 4 p.m. to say that the "first snow of the year has fallen in parts of
West Yorkshire". At 5 p.m. he drove home to
Huntington, Cheshire. The police were also informed and confirmed his death at the age of 42, announcing that they were not treating it as suspicious. Although the facts were not fully established, it was reported that his death had been a suicide. His death was announced to the public by the Football Association of Wales a few hours later. An inquest into Speed's death convened on 29 November 2011, but was adjourned until 30 January 2012. It was revealed that Shearer had told Speed about such arguments being normal in a long-term relationship, and Louise told the inquest how recent conversations between her and Speed "went on about our future together and how excited he was about our journey together". Speed had been coached as a child by
Barry Bennell, who was later convicted as a serial child sex offender. In February 2018, after Bennell's conviction, an anonymous victim of Bennell told
Al Jazeera that he had also witnessed Speed being abused. However, police had interviewed Speed twice during earlier investigations into Bennell, and he said that he was never harmed by Bennell; the inquest into Speed's death found no links. In September 2018, Louise uncovered a 25-year-old letter Speed had secretly written to her at the age of 17, in which he noted being
depressed and that he was going to sleep and hoped to "never wake up".
Tributes . News of Speed's death was first announced by the Football Association of Wales, who extended their sympathies and condolences to Speed's family. Throughout the day similar messages were released from many people within football, as well as national figures in Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom. Close friends and former teammates such as Robbie Savage, Ryan Giggs,
Simon Grayson, Alan Shearer,
Craig Bellamy and John Hartson all expressed their deep sorrow at his death. Many British politicians expressed sadness at Speed's death and sent condolences to his family, including Prime Minister
David Cameron and Leader of the Opposition
Ed Miliband. Among the international figures to pay tribute to Speed was
UEFA President
Michel Platini.
FIFA President
Sepp Blatter described Speed as "a model professional and a fantastic ambassador for the game". Both the FIFA and
Welsh flags at FIFA's headquarters were at half mast as a mark of respect. The match between Swansea City and Aston Villa at the
Liberty Stadium, held only hours after Speed's death was announced, was dedicated to his memory. A minute's silence was to be held before the match. However, the fans applauded instead and sang Speed's name. Several players who played in the match were severely affected by the news. Four Welsh internationals played in the match; Along with this match, several others saw tributes toward Speed. The only other Premier League match played that day was between
Liverpool and
Manchester City. Craig Bellamy of Liverpool was withdrawn from Liverpool's squad by his manager Kenny Dalglish, as he was too affected by the news to play. Bellamy played with Speed for Newcastle United and Wales, where Speed had also been his manager. Dalglish himself had signed Speed for Newcastle, and expressed his sadness at the news, saying that he thought Speed was not only a great footballer but also a great person. At Sheffield United there were tributes for the former player, coach and manager before the team's home fixture against
Torquay United in the
FA Cup. Former teammates and colleagues were invited to the match; there was a minute's applause before the match; players warmed up in specially designed shirts; players and coaches wore black armbands; the match day programme was dedicated to Speed; Sheffield United captain Chris Morgan and former Sheffield United and Welsh international
Rob Page laid wreaths on pitch side just before kick-off. Sheffield United striker
Ched Evans, the only player to be managed by Speed at both club and international level, paid tribute to Speed during the match; Evans revealed a message under his shirt after scoring his first goal which read: "Rest in peace Speedo." Evans stated after the match "I was a man on a mission. I had a message on my top for Gary Speed which I wanted to show. I'm thankful I got the goal ... The crowd started singing [Speed's name], it gave me goose pimples." During the following week, tributes were paid to Speed from across the football season. A minute's applause was held before the League Cup quarter-final ties, as well as across the Football League midweek matches. Similar events were staged at every Premier League match on the weekend of 4 December, as well as
Wales's rugby match against
Australia at the
Millennium Stadium in
Cardiff. Speed's wife Louise and his two children attended the Football League Championship game at Elland Road between Speed's former club Leeds and Millwall, which Leeds won 2–0, and again held a minute's applause. Speed's fellow midfielders from the
1991–92 title-winning side Gary McAllister, David Batty and Gordon Strachan laid wreaths in his memory. Speed's father, Roger, also led a minute's tribute at Goodison Park, where Speed's former club Everton lost 1–0 to
Stoke City. Speed's father and sons were again present a week later at the
Reebok Stadium, as another of his son's former teams
Bolton Wanderers lost 2–1 to Aston Villa. On 4 January, the Football Association of Wales announced that a match in Speed's memory would be played on 29 February at
Cardiff City Stadium. The friendly international against Costa Rica commemorated Speed's debut for Wales, in which Costa Rica were beaten 1–0. The memorial match saw Costa Rica win by the same score. On 25 September 2012, Everton visited Leeds United in the League Cup. Starting from the 11th minute of the fixture, both sets of supporters chanted Speed's name for 11 minutes. Beginning in 2022, Leeds fanzine
The Square Ball has organised the Gary Speed Walk to support
Andy's Man Club, a charity which raises awareness of men's mental health issues. The first walk was a symbolic 92 miles (in honor of the
1991–92 Football League First Division season, where Speed played a major role in Leeds' title win) from his childhood home in Flintshire to
Elland Road; Carol Speed, Gary's mother, saw the walkers off. A year later, the walk was another 92 miles to Elland Road, this time starting from
Goodison Park in Liverpool in honour of his boyhood club. 2025 saw a third walk, beginning at
St James' Park in Newcastle and finishing 121 miles away at
Elland Road.
Funeral Speed's funeral, attended by around 250 members of his family and close friends, took place in the village of
Hawarden on 9 December 2011. In keeping with his wife Louise's wishes, only small crowds gathered on the main road outside
St Deiniol's Church and no members of the press were admitted. Speed was later cremated in Pentre Bychan Crematorium,
Wrexham.
Impact on Welsh football Speed's work to improve the professional standard of the Football Association of Wales, including improvements to training facilities, team culture, and its national visibility, was credited as a major contributor to the success that Wales would enjoy in the decade after his death, beginning with their qualification for
Euro 2016 and culminating in their appearance at the
2022 FIFA World Cup in
Qatar, bringing to an end a 64-year drought at the World Cup. His memory became part of "the sense of collective purpose" of the organization. On the eve of the Qatar World Cup, Speed's former teammate
Neville Southall wrote that the biggest difference between the Welsh squad that had qualified and those that came before started "with a single word: belief," and that "for the initial source of the belief, though, you have to go back to my old mate Gary Speed. Gary had a burning ambition to take Wales into a tournament and, in his time as manager, he made players believe in themselves." Wales captain
Gareth Bale paid tribute to Speed on the occasion, saying "Gary Speed's vision was to grow the FAW, not just the football, but the infrastructure: building a training base, having a high-performance centre and recovery centre, just like a top club," adding "I'm sure he's looking down on us with a big smile and happy that Welsh football is in a great place." ==Career statistics==