Liverpool’s former co-owner George Gillett has died at the age of 87.
Gillett and business partner Tom Hicks assumed control at Anfield in February 2007 after acquiring the Moores family’s legacy shares in a £217 million buyout deal.
However the Americans proved deeply unpopular during their three-and-a-half years in charge of the Reds amid off-field turbulence which left the club on the brink.
The former Montreal Canadiens owner infamously declared that the pair would have ‘a shovel in the ground’ on a proposed new stadium in Stanley Park within 60 days.
Gillett and Hicks, who died in December 2025, were finally ousted when current owners Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool’s debt in a £300M package.
However the previous custodians attempted to disrupt the sale by obtaining a court order against it in a US court which was later overruled by a High Court judgement.
It was confirmed that Gillett’s death on Tuesday came after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Former Liverpool FC co-owner George Gillett Jr. has passed away at the age of 87,” read a club statement
“Gillett, alongside fellow American businessman Tom Hicks, completed a takeover of the Reds in February 2007.
“Their tenure at Anfield ended in October 2010 when the club was bought by current owners Fenway Sports Group.
“Gillett also owned the NHL team Montreal Canadiens for an eight-year period from 2001 to 2009.
“LFC sends its condolences to the Gillett family and his friends.”
- Richard Buxton
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