Aston Villa: Dean Smith's father dies after contracting coronavirus

The father of Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has died at the age of 79 after contracting coronavirus.

Ron Smith, who had dementia and lived in a care home, contracted the virus four weeks ago.

In a statement, Villa said he passed away after a short period in hospital "with his family at his side".

Formerly a steward at the club, he was a lifelong Villa supporter and was a regular at home matches, and saw Villa lift the European Cup in 1982.

"The thoughts of everyone at the football club are currently with Dean and his family at this most distressing of times and would kindly ask for the family's privacy to be respected," Villa said.

As of 17:00 BST on Wednesday, more than 37,000 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus.

Last month, the mother of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Dolors Sala Carrio, died aged 82 in Barcelona after contracting the virus.