‘This is a sad and dark day for Watford - the club and the town’ - former chairman Sir Elton John pays tribute to Graham Taylor

Flashback | Graham Taylor and Sir Elton John
Evening Standard
Richard Parry12 January 2017

Sir Elton John has paid tribute to Graham Taylor following the death of the former Watford manager.

Taylor was hired by the pop music icon in 1977 following his takeover of the club the year before.

Together, Watford would rise from the fourth division to the top flight of English football within five years, reaching the FA Cup final in 1984. Taylor would work under John for a decade before leaving Watford to join Aston Villa in 1987.

But Taylor at John were reunited with a second spell at Watford in 1996, where he recovered his old touch with back-to-back promotions to the Premier League.

In a post on published on his official Instagram page, John wrote: “I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham's passing.

“He was like a brother to me. We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever. He took my beloved Watford from the depths of the lower leagues to uncharted territory and into Europe. We have become a leading English club because of his managerial wisdom and genius.

“This is a sad and dark day for Watford,” he continued. “The club and the town.

“We will cherish Graham and drown our sorrows in the many brilliant memories he gave us.

Graham Taylor | 1944-2017

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“I love you Graham. I will miss you very much.

“My thoughts go out to Rita, Joanne, Karen and the whole Taylor family.”

Taylor died in the early hours of Thursday morning. It is believed he had suffered a heart attack.

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