The football community has been mourning the sudden passing of Alex Hughes, the 38-year-old son of former Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona striker Mark Hughes. Alex died unexpectedly on June 19 after being found collapsed at his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire, with his two sons discovering him.
Cause of Death Revealed After Tragic Passing of Mark Hughes’ Son Alex Hughes
Alex Hughes, the son of former Manchester United and Wales striker Mark Hughes, died from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), a coroner has confirmed. The 38-year-old was found collapsed at his home in Macclesfield, Cheshire, on June 19 by his two sons. Despite emergency efforts, including CPR performed by his eldest son, Alex could not be revived.
An inquest at Cheshire Coroners Court heard that Alex’s death was caused by SADS, a condition where a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest despite having no obvious structural problems with the heart. The condition is often linked to undiagnosed inherited heart conditions and is responsible for hundreds of unexpected deaths each year in the UK. Coroner Victoria Davies ruled the death as being from natural causes.
Alex had followed his father’s path into football, though he built his own career away from the pitch. After a brief playing spell with Stockport and Wrexham, he moved into football operations and worked as a performance analyst during Mark Hughes’ managerial spells at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City. He later held recruitment roles at Fulham and Grimsby Town, joining the League Two club in 2025 as part of their player recruitment department.
Mark Hughes and Football Community Pay Emotional Tribute to Alex Hughes
Following Alex’s passing, Mark Hughes and his family shared their heartbreak over the loss of their son. “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.” Grimsby head coach David Artell also paid tribute, describing Alex as “just such a good guy” and adding, “Life can be really cruel.”
