Former Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra has revealed the death of his mother, who had been battling Alzheimer's disease. The 45-year-old shared the news in a video posted on social media, in which he sang a tribute to her while visibly emotional.
Emotional tribute in video
In the clip, Evra sang the Sexion D'Assaut song "Avant qu'elle parte," which translates to "Before she goes," as he held back tears. He paid tribute to his mother, saying: "I lost my rock, but I'm trying to stay positive."
He added: "People ask me every time if I'm always happy. And now all the people that have still got their mum, even if the death doesn't stop the love, just tell them you love them, every single day, before they leave."
Caption and previous revelations
Evra captioned the post: "Even when the whole world is against you, she will always be your best friend. A mother's love is forever, no matter what happens in life. Rest in peace, Maman. You will always be in my heart."
The former France international has previously spoken about his mother's illness and regularly pays tribute to her by not wearing a shoe on his left foot during videos. He explained that the gesture honours his mother, who lost a leg after being rushed to hospital in 2010.
Speaking to PlutoTV, Evra said: "People ask me in the comments every time, 'why is he wearing one shoe?' 'He doesn't have enough money' or whatever. No, actually, every time I do a video and I'm not wearing the left shoes, I dedicate all my videos to my mum."
Evra was with the French national team at the time of the hospitalisation. He recalled: "I asked the manager and the next day I went to the hospital. When I arrived in the corridor, everyone was crying. I saw my brother and sister. I said, 'Wow, this is weird.' Then I went to the room. My mum was on the bed and I kissed her. Then I sat next to her. It was only when I pulled off the blanket, that's when I saw the left leg was missing."
He added: "Every time I do a video, I just dedicate it to my hero, my mum. It was difficult at the beginning but my mum has her fake legs and she dances."
