Overview
- An inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court this week concluded that 38‑year‑old Alex Hughes died of Sudden Adult/Arrhythmic Death Syndrome and recorded the death as natural.
- Hughes was found collapsed at his Prestbury home on June 19 by his two young sons and could not be revived despite CPR and emergency treatment.
- Coroner Victoria Davies cited a post‑mortem and toxicology that showed no structural heart abnormality or drugs or alcohol, with a cardiac pathology report describing sudden death with a normal heart.
- Hughes worked in recruitment and performance analysis at several clubs and Grimsby Town led public tributes while his family asked for privacy and held a funeral attended by figures from across football.
- Medical experts and charities say SADS is diagnosed when a cardiac arrest leaves no clear structural cause, it affects several hundred people in the UK each year, and the verdict may prompt genetic screening and heart checks for close relatives.