July 2024: The athletes who tragically passed away

Dark month

July 2024 has been a dark month for sports, with (former) athletes from various sports passing away. Here are just a few of them.

Jacques Freitag - 1 July

South African high jump legend Jacques Freitag, a former world champion, was found dead after he had been missing for over two weeks. His body was discovered in a veld in Pretoria West with multiple gunshot wounds, per the Independent Online.

Jeff Whitefoot - 2 July

2 July marked the death of Jeff Whitefoot, who played for Manchester United, Grimsby Town and Nottingham Forest, per Transfermarkt. He "was one of the original Busby Babes, a team that passed into legend for its performances in the 1950s before the Munich air disaster," Sky Sport News reported.

Geoff Robinson - 3 July

One day later, rugby league legend Geoff Robinson suffered a heart attack and died following "a long cancer battle," per the Daily Mail.

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André Drege - 6 July

July was a festive month for cycling with the Tour de France, but the death of Norwegian cyclist André Drege at the age of 25 cast a major shadow over the world's biggest cycling event.

Ahmed Refaat - 6 July

That same day, football mourned the loss of Egyptian Ahmed Refaat (31), who suffered a cardiac arrest.

Khyree Jackson - 6 July

6 July became even sadder after the passing of NFL star Khyree Jackson (24), who died in a tragic car crash, per TMZ.

Jacoby Jones - 14 July

The NFL also bid farewell to Jacoby Jones. The former Ravens Super Bowl hero "passed away peacefully at his home in New Orleans," per a statement by the NFLPA on behalf of Jones’ family.

Joe "Jellybean" Bryant - 16 July

16 July marked the passing of Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, according to ESPN and many others. Joe Bryant was 69 years old and enjoyed an NBA career that spanned eight seasons in the 1970s and 1980s.

Floyd Lane - 29 July

On 29 July, basketball said goodbye to Floyd Lane (95). Lane "was one of the six CCNY players — and one of dozens at more than 90 schools — who were ensnared in the point-shaving scandals of 1951," reported the New York Post. In 2003, he was inducted into the New York Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jozef Szmidt - July 29

On 29 July, Poland lost Jozef Szmidt, one of its greatest athletes of all time and "a two-time Olympic triple jump champion," per Polskie Radio. Szmidt died aged 89.

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