A PUBLIC celebration to mark Neale Cooper’s life will take place in Aberdeen next Friday evening.

Held at Pittodrie, home of Aberdeen, the family have urged friends, colleagues and supporters to attend and pay their respects.

Cooper, the former Hartlepool United boss, died on Monday following a fall. Pools have opened an on-line book of condolence and will decide in the future how to recognise his time at the club.

The Cooper family have issued a statement, which reads:

“Neale James Cooper passed away peacefully on 28th May 2018, aged 54, with his family by his side.

“A loving son to Anne, father to Amy, Alex, and Ellie, brother to Shirley, and uncle to Doug and Suzi, he left a lasting impression on everyone he encountered and will be sorely missed by those he left behind.

“The family would like to express their gratitude to Police Scotland, the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary paramedics, A&E and ICU departments who cared for Neale in his final hours, and the media for respecting their privacy.

“Neale will have a private family funeral and there will be a public memorial event at Aberdeen Football Club. The family would like to thank Aberdeen Football Club for organizing the public memorial event and for the support they have shown. The family are also very touched and grateful for the overwhelming support and thoughts of the public and fans.”

The celebration will take place on Friday, June 8 at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, within the Richard Donald Stand. Complimentary tickets will be available from the Pittodrie ticket office from Monday, however tickets will also be available on the night at the RDS Lower turnstiles.

Aberdeen FC’s book of condolence will be available in the RDS Concourse area once the evening has been brought to a close.