Gabby Logan shares heartbreaking details of her dad Terry Yorath’s last moments – and thanks ‘strangers’ for their ‘comforting stories’ after Laura Woods condemned Richard Keys’ ‘tribute’

Gabby Logan paid tribute to her late father Terry Yorath and shared a glimpse into their final moments together in an emotional statement on Instagram.

Football was declared in mourning on Thursday morning after it was revealed that the Leeds legend had passed away at the age of 75 following a short illness.

Logan abandoned Wednesday night’s Match of the Day broadcast due to what his replacement, Mark Chapman, described as a “family emergency”.

She wrote on Thursday night: ‘Thank you for your messages of love and support today, it meant the world to us. A warrior on the football field, captain of club and country, a kind-hearted and generous man, our Father hated all the attention. (Well, most of them).

‘The stories strangers shared with us today were extremely comforting. He touched the lives of many people.

‘We knew he was short on time but it’s still shocking. yesterday afternoon [Wednesday] I sat by his bedside in Leeds St James Hospital and we debated whether roast potatoes with calf’s liver were better than mashed potatoes.

She shared photos of herself and her father from years ago, including her wedding

Logan also gave a glimpse into Yorath’s life at home, including his love of dogs.

‘This was the meal he decided to eat when he got home tomorrow. [Friday]. I left and went to work, he was looking forward to watching his beloved Leeds match against Newcastle. He won’t go home tomorrow. But she got back together with Daniel [Logan’s brother who died aged 15] and you will feel like this is your home.

‘I’m sorry she had to deal with so much pain, the tragedy of the Bradford Fire was forever in her heart and losing Daniel defined the second half of her life.

‘Thank you, father, for instilling your passion for justice. Even though Louise always beats me, thank you for playing rounds or racing us after dinner. Thank you for not making me pay you $1,865,986 after I kept losing at double cards or pars when I was eight.

‘Thank you for teaching me the value of money by inviting me to have a pot of mustard for dinner for £5 so I could buy a pair of shoes I wanted when I was 12 (much to my mother’s dismay). Thank you for giving me a lifelong love of sports. Thank you for being a cruel cynic with a wicked sense of humor.

‘And to the wonderful staff at Jimmys, J16, who cared for him so tenderly, you are all Angels. ‘I love you, dad.’

She also shared various photos of Yorath from daily life, including him spending time with the dogs, working in the kitchen, and speaking at his wedding.

Yorath’s death prompted a number of loving comments from former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, as well as a very sarcastic contribution: ‘I am sorry to hear the news of the passing of Terry Yorath. He was a warrior and won fans wherever he played. He was great for us at Coventry and the reason I got Gabby a job at Sky. I had no idea who he was when we met, but I knew his father. RIP Terry. Your daughter was proud of you.’

TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods led the criticism on this issue, writing: ‘I’m sorry… but hey. He said with zero surprise.’ He later added: ‘I would also like to add my tribute to the thousands of people who have paid affectionate tribute to a much-loved broadcaster and his family. Sending all my love x.’

Logan also shared this footage of him speaking at Yorath’s wedding — and it was clearly fun!

Yorath at home with his wife Christine and children Gabby, Louise and Daniel in 1978

Richard Keys (pictured right with Andy Gray and John Terry) appeared to reference his years-long feud with Yorath’s daughter Gabby Logan in his tribute to Yorath.

Laura Woods calls out Keys for tribute to Terry Yorath following his death

Keys says she ‘got Gabby a job at Sky’ thanks to her dad in controversial message

Woods slammed Keys and said he wasn’t surprised by the apparent nature of her message

Former BBC Sport man Dan Walker also came to Logan’s defense in his responses to the post.

Pictured in 2005, Yorath worked for various clubs after his retirement, including Huddersfield.

The star (pictured in 1973) was born in Cardiff and played 59 times for the Wales national team.

Born in Cardiff, Yorath played a big part in the Leeds team under Don Revie that won the First Division title in 1973-74, before playing with Coventry, Tottenham and Bradford.

Yorath scored 11 goals in 199 appearances for Leeds over nine years since 1967, picking up runners-up medals in the FA Cup, European Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.

The midfielder also made 59 appearances for Wales and served as assistant coach at Bradford during the Valley Parade fire in 1985. 56 fans died and 270 people were injured.

Yorath also managed Swansea, Bradford, Cardiff, Lebanon, Sheffield Wednesday and Margate, as well as Wales coming close to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup.

His death was announced at 8.20am on Thursday, just hours after Logan was forced to leave Match of the Day mid-show after being informed of a family emergency.

In addition to Logan, he had three other children: Louise, Jordan and Daniel, but the latter died of a genetic heart condition in 1992 while playing football with him at the age of 15.

In a statement on Thursday morning, his children said: ‘To many he was a revered football hero but to us he was a father; a quiet, kind and gentle man.

‘Our hearts are broken, but we take comfort in knowing that our brother Daniel will be reunited with him.’

The sports legend was also described as a ‘devoted family man’ and ‘loving and extremely proud grandfather of Reuben, Lois, Mila, Phoenix and Paloma’.