Ray had cardiac arrest and fall .. it’s very bad
ANGUISH OF EX-GER WILKINS’ WIFE Family gather at seriously ill football hero’s bedside
FoRMeR Rangers star Ray Wilkins was fighting for his life last night after falling when he suffered a cardiac arrest.
The former Chelsea and Man United midfielder, 61, collapsed when his heart stopped at his home in Cobham, Surrey.
Ray’s family, including children Ross, 36, and Jade, 32, were at his bedside at London’s St George’s Hospital last night.
His wife Jackie said: “He’s in hospital, he’s had a cardiac arrest and is in intensive care.
“He is not in a good state at all. He’s critically ill.
“The cardiac arrest led to a fall which has meant he’s had to be put in an induced coma. It’s very, very bad.”
The family hope a scan next week will bring some positive news.
Ray signed for Rangers from Paris St-Germain in 1987 for £250,000.
The following August “Butch” scored a volley in an Old Firm match at Ibrox that Rangers went on to win 5-1.
It was one of three goals he scored for the club in 70 appearances but it assured him cult status.
Ray collected two league championship and one League Cup medal in two seasons at Ibrox before leaving for Queens Park Rangers in 1989.
He returned to Scotland aged 40 for play for Hibs in the 1996-7 season before leaving for Millwall.
Capped 84 times by England, he played for Chelsea from 1973 to 1979.
He was then sold to Man United, where he helped Ron Atkinson’s side win the FA Cup in 1983.
AC Milan bought him for £1.5 million in 1984 before he joined PSG in 1987.
Ray managed QPR and Fulham in the late 90s and was assistant manager at Watford, Milwall and Fulham.
He had three spells as assistant manager at Chelsea, taking over briefly when Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked in 2008.
His last job in football was in 2015 when he was let go as Aston Villa’s assistant manager. He then became a pundit on Sky, the BBC and TalkSport.
Ray suffered from depression and recently battled ulcerative colitis.
He admitted being an alcoholic following a drinkdrive conviction in 2013.
The cardiac arrest happened on Wednesday, hours after Wilkins was on Alan Brazil’s Talksport breakfast show.