Jack Grealish has donated £5,000 towards the funeral of an Aston Villa fan who has passed away.

Aston Villa season ticket holder Shawn Francis, who was expecting his first child with his partner Danielle which is due in July, was tragically found dead on Saturday at the age of 29.

A donation page has been set up to cover the costs of the funeral and to help raise the baby.

So far over £23,000 out of the £25,000 goal has been met, with Man City star and boyhood Villa fan Grealish helping towards the cost.

Grealish, who as reported by the Birmingham Mail is a friend of Francis, sent over a £5,000 payment towards the Go Fund Me page on Monday.

Jack Grealish has donated £5,000 towards a friend’s funeral costs after they died last week

Aston Villa season ticket holder Shawn Francis was found dead at the age of 29 on Saturday

Grealish made the donation on the Go Fund Me page set up to cover Francis’ funeral costs and to help raise his baby which is due in July

A tribute on Shawn’s Instagram page read: “Heaven gained the most beautiful and purest angel of all. Our hearts will forever be missing a huge piece that you filled. You were the most caring, loving, honest and fun person who deserved more from life.

‘Our son will be your legacy and we know that through him you will always be with us. He will always know how special and amazing his daddy is.

“Words will never measure the joy and love you brought us all and, until we meet again, love you. Rest in heavenly paradise, you have gone home to your mom and dad now. Love you always our angel.’

Andrew Inwood, who set up the donation page also posted: ‘We are all devastated by this loss, but our focus now is on supporting his family during this very difficult time. We cannot imagine the pain his family must be feeling, knowing that Danielle will soon bring their son into the world without Shawn by her side.

‘We want to raise funds to support Shawn’s family, to help cover the costs of the funeral and raising a baby, and lower the financial burden after such a devastating tragedy.’

Grealish made 213 appearances for Villa before leaving for City in 2021 for a then British record £100m fee.

He registered 32 goals and 43 assists for his boyhood club and helped them secure promotion to the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign.

Grealish also donated £2,000 to the funeral of Aston Villa fan Mia Craen back in 2021

Back in 2021, Grealish donated £2,000 towards the funeral of another Aston Villa supporter.

Mia Craen, 18, was killed in February of that year when her car collided with a tree as she was driving home to West Sussex.

There were a number of tributes paid to her online and, knowing her favourite player was Grealish, a number of friends tagged the club captain.

Eventually the word reached Grealish and he responded with a generous donation of £2000 towards the funeral costs on her Go Fund Me page along with a heartfelt message.

He posted: ‘R.I.P Mia. Sending my deepest condolences to your family and friends. Please click the link in this bio and donate if possible. So sad.’

source:dailymail.co.uk