Lady Cathy Ferguson, the late wife of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, has passed away.
Sir Alex and Lady Cathy first crossed paths in 1964 when he was just 23 years old, and they tied the knot in 1966. They have three sons: Mark, born in 1968, and twins Darren (the current manager of Peterborough) and Jason, born in 1972.

The Ferguson family issued a statement, confirming the news, which was released through the PA news agency on Friday afternoon.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday [Thursday] of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild,” the statement read.

“The family asks for privacy at this time.”
Following the passing of Lady Cathy's sister, Bridget, Sir Alex chose to retire in 2013. He expressed this decision by stating, “My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.”
In 2002, Lady Cathy had successfully persuaded him not to retire.