Manchester United star and former Wales manager Mark Hughes' son died of sudden adult death syndrome, inquest hears

By RICHARD MARSDEN and VAZ SAYED Published: 11:13, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 11:23, 5 August 2026 The son of Manchester United striker and former Wales manager Mark Hughes died tragically from sudden adult death syndrome, an inquest has found. Alex Hughes, 38, collapsed on the floor of his bedroom where he was found by his two sons at 7am on June 19, a coroner was told. Mr Hughes' oldest son, Sebastian, 11, carried out CPR but his father, the head of player recruitment at League Two Grimsby Town FC, could not be revived, the inquest heard.  Cheshire Coroner's Court heard the cause of death was found to be Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). Today's hearing in Warrington heard that the condition usually occurs in young men and there are around 800 cases per year in England. Area coroner Victoria Davies gave the cause of death as sudden adult death syndrome and concluded that the death was down to natural causes. She said: 'A post mortem report showed there was no signification result of toxicology. There was no alcohol or drugs or prescription drugs. 'A cardiac pathology report showed sudden death with a normal heart. 'There were no other significant findings. 'SADS deaths occur predominantly in young males. There were are around 800 cases per annum in England.' Mr Hughes' Manchester United legend father had announced the tragedy in an emotional statement, saying it had left his family 'totally heartbroken'. Alex Hughes, 38, was head of player recruitment at League Two Grimsby Town FC The former Wales, Blackburn, Manchester City and Stoke City boss carried his son's coffin at the funeral last month as he paid his final respects. In a statement via the League Managers Association at the time of his son's death, Mr Hughes senior said: 'Jill and I are totally heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved son Alex. 'Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, devoted husband and father to Jessica and their two beautiful children Sebastian and Leonardo. 'Alex was Player Recruitment Lead at Grimsby Town FC, and had many good friends and colleagues. 'He will be so deeply missed by us all.' Leading sports figures joined mourners for the funeral at St Peter's Church in Prestbury, Cheshire, last month. Mr Hughes' wife Jess, whom he had known since school, was accompanied by their sons, Sebastian, 11, and Leonardo, 9. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson attended the funeral along with stars including Bryan Robson and Ryan Giggs. Mr Hughes' father Mark was among pallbearers at the father-of-two's funeral last month Mr Hughes's father-in-law, David Pollock, gave a moving eulogy, explaining how he was proud of his boys, who had begun pointing to the skies after scoring goals. Born in 1987, while his dad was contracted to Barcelona, Mr Hughes had a brief football career in Wales before moving into a variety of behind-the-scenes roles. He earned his stripes as a match analyst at Blackburn before Man City took him on as a scout. Mr Hughes, who lived at a £1.2m home in Prestbury, then worked as chief analyst at another of his dad’s former clubs, Fulham, before forging his own path with advisory roles at 1860 Munich and Reading. In 2024 he took over as director of football at AFC Fylde before returning to prominent scouting roles at Morecambe and Grimsby. Dad Mark Hughes, now 62, had a distinguished playing career with United, including helping win their first two Premier League titles in 1993 and 1994, Barca, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn. He then became a mainstay in club management after five years in charge of the Welsh national team between 1999 and 2004. Hughes was most recently in charge of Carlisle United but left after suffering defeat in the National League play-off semi-finals last season.