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Leicester City family comes together to remember Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

:Headline: Leicester City family comes together to remember Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha: ID:340005: from db_amp
Srivaddhanaprabha's family and the club's players have joined in grief.

Leicester vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha visited the King Power Stadium to pay tribute to his father and club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha following his tragic death.

The emotional Leicester squad also paid their respects to the 60-year-old at the ground on Monday.

Thai billionaire Vichai was among five people killed when his helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening.

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Jamie Vardy and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel outside the King Power (Mike Egerton/PA)

Manager Claude Puel joined his players while vice chairman Aiyawatt returned to see the tributes after arriving earlier in the morning while around 200 fans broke into spontaneous applause.

Aiyawatt had been joined by his mother and Vichai's wife Aimon at the ground and they laid a floral tribute.

Club officials, including director of football Jon Rudkin and chief executive Susan Whelan, also attended as they viewed the floral tributes and the family laid their own.

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (front) and family members walk through tributes (Mike Egerton/PA)

The president of the Thai FA, Somyot Poompanmoung and his wife, Potjaman Poompamoung, were also among the group, while various personalities from sport and showbiz – including Kasabian singer Tom Meighan – also arrived.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has recovered the helicopter's black boxes, voice and data, and are working on them at their Farnborough base.

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was visibly upset at the scene, having earlier paid an emotional tribute to the man who "changed football forever."

Fellow City defender and England left-back Ben Chilwell hailed "one of the best people you could wish to meet".

Writing on Twitter, he said: "I can't believe it. I am heartbroken to hear that no-one survived the crash yesterday."

Jamie Vardy – whose meteoric rise through the leagues was matched step-by-step by the club as they came from nowhere to win the Premier League in 2016 – called Srivaddhanaprabha a "legend".

He said on Instagram: "Struggling to find the right words, but to me you are a legend, an incredible man who had the biggest heart, the soul of Leicester City Football Club. Thank you for everything you did for me, my family and our club. I will truly miss you, may you rest in peace."

"I was lucky to have known Vichai for several years. He was a businessman of strong values who was dedicated to his family and who supported a number of important charitable causes.

"He made such a big contribution to football, not least through Leicester City's magical 2016 season that captured the imagination of the world."

Former Leicester player Alan Birchenall, now a club ambassador, revealed Srivaddhanaprabha, who donated millions to local charities, had proved a staunch ally to him after he suffered a heart attack.

Birchenall told Sky Sports News: "What this club gave back to me through Khun Vichai is unbelievable. In fact, when I was out of action, the club sent me a cleaner to come and clean my little hovel, and she's still doing it today 18 months on!

"That's Khun Vichai. He knew and he said, 'You've still got that cleaner, Birchy. She was only supposed to be with you until you got on your feet again!'. But that was him."

Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore, who handed Srivaddhanaprabha that most unlikeliest of trophies two years ago, said: "Vichai was a gentleman who graced the game with his civility and charm and we will miss him enormously."

New Ipswich boss Paul Lambert, who lives locally, was also at the King Power Stadium to pay his respects.

Thousands of tributes have been left at the stadium (Mike Egerton/PA)

Lambert said: "It's not just the football club, it's the whole of Leicester. It's incredible what he (Vichai) did for everyone and it's still incredibly shocking. I was in the city this morning and I wanted to come down and pay my respects like everyone else.

"He did it right.  He embraced everything, he embraced the city and they embraced him.  The two bounced off each other. His ownership wasn't just football. It was a human thing as well.

"Others have died as well and it's horrific, it's absolutely tragic."

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