Express & Star

'I've lost my best friend': Steve Plant's family pays tribute to 'selfless' father

The family of legendary Wolves fan and charity man Steve Plant have paid tribute to their 'selfless and funny' husband and father.

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The Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, who raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity, died at 8.30am on Monday following a heart attack.

He was a familiar face at the Molineux and away games, and was known by many for his vast collection of match-worn football jerseys, of which he had more than 300.

Steve and Andrea at the Wolves League Cup Reunion Dinner in aid of Compton Hospice at The Copthorne Hotel, Merry Hill, Dudley.

A published author, Steve had written a series of books titled 'They Wore the Shirt' that he wrote in tribute to his father, a long-time Wolves fan who passed away from pancreatic cancer.

In the book he shared his extensive knowledge of the history of the colours of Wolves and how they became the current Old Gold and Black. The sales of his book along with celebration dinners raised £100,000 for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Steve Bull and Steve Plant

The book he wrote before he died 'Old Gold and Black' will be launched by his family as a tribute to him.

Steve leaves behind his wife Andrea, daughters Leah, Talisa, Lauren and Abbie, and his four grandchildren Layton, Raegan, Carmen and Cruz.

Steve Plant with his award resented by Steve bull and Laurie Dalrymple at the Wolverhampton Wanderers End of Season Dinner.

Andrea shared a touching tribute to her 'best friend'.

"I have lost my best friend," she said, "he was such a selfless person, who did so much for people and for local charities that meant the world to him.

"As a family, we’ve made the decision to continue with the launch of Steve’s latest book ‘Old Gold and Black’, which will be at the Mount Hotel on October 13th. It’s what he would have wanted and will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him."

Steve and his wife Andrea

His daughter Leah says he was one of a kind.

She said: "His main goal in life was to make his dad proud and my god did he do that with his charity work and the way he was such a good friend to so many people.

"He also had such a funny personality, and we often said that I was the only one who found his jokes funny. I’ll always remember how much he loved breeding canaries and being dragged all around the country for competitions. None of my other friends were doing this sort of thing, but we did it because Dad was so passionate about it.

"That summed him up. Dad didn’t do anything by half and always threw himself into everything he loved – whether he was supporting Wolves or raising money for the charities he cared so much about."