Hours later, he was dead.

Crown-sick

When the coronavirus started raging in the UK a few weeks ago, Lewis was not primarily concerned with health. What worried him the most, according to the Daily Mail, was that his record number of more than 1,000 Charlton games in a row could be broken if settlements were played behind closed doors.

Now this was not an issue, England finally closed even the country and the football season was temporarily halted. Almost at the same time, asthma-stricken Lewis began to have coughing fits and breathing problems. He was in solitary confinement for seven days before ending up in hospital with what doctors called a respiratory tract infection, according to The Sun.

Lewis’ case also appears in the local newspaper Kent Live and in the Evening Standard.

Three days after hospitalization, Lewis shared with his friends on Facebook that he had detected the coronavirus.

The same day, he posted a heartbreaking video of himself on Instagram, wearing an oxygen mask, where he clearly struggled to breathe and speak.

He went so far as to say this:

– I have to wear this mask as much as possible, but I hope to come back better and stronger, probably in 10 to 14 days.

On Facebook the next day, he wrote that he still doesn’t wear a respirator, but that he falls asleep all the time.

The next day he was dead.

Seb Lewis died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, London, on March 25, at just 38 years old.

I want a statue

After Seb lost the fight against the coronavirus, he became the subject of an emotional tribute. Not just from his own club, but from several adults and children in the British soccer family.

So great is the commitment to Lewis’s death that a coronation campaign was launched to erect a statue of the soccer fan at the permanent stand where he used to sit faithfully throughout all these years.

– I had an idea that he was popular, but what comes next is a fantastic recognition of my son. We are very, very moved by all who have said what they have said, Father Lionel Lewis said after the loss of his son, to Charlton’s websites.

So everything since 1998

The father says he took Seb to his first game at The Valley in 1993, when his son was 11 years old. Charlton won 5-1 and the boy would return to the game every weekend.

It was his older brother Olly who first took him to games away from home.

– He was dyslexic and hadn’t read a whole book, but when Gary Nelson’s biography came out, he went to buy it and read it from start to finish, his father continues.

Nelson was a great player for Charlton in the 90s.

The father says that Seb often queued for hours to be the first to buy a new suit set or a new Charlton book.

Seb’s record of 1,076 consecutive games started in 1998 when he was 16 years old.

When Seb reached 1,000 games, he received the club’s Pride of the Valley award and was acclaimed on the field. He thanked them with a landscape dance on the lawn, his trademark.

– He was very proud that day, says his father Lionel.

Clubs, players, coaches and supporters across England, since his death, have expressed pain and compassion. One of them is former great player Jason Euell.

Charlton Athletics wrote the following in his tribute:

“We are truly crushed to hear that one of Charlton’s most dedicated, loyal and popular supporters, Seb Lewis, died at the age of 38. Seb was the heart and soul of the Charlton family and was very proud to have been in all games, at home and away, since February 1998. »

The club added:

“Thank you Seb for your loyalty and dedication. The Valley and everything that happens across the country will never be the same without you.”

Charlton also launched the #StayHomeForSeb hashtag, as a call to all England fans to stay home.

Charlton’s manager, well-known former Premier League player Lee Bowyer, told The Sun regarding the death:

– We lost one of ours. Don’t wait until you lose a friend or loved one before taking this virus seriously.

Bowyer further said:

I was lucky to meet Seb several times and you couldn’t have met a friendlier person. Every time we got off the bus, he was there in front of us with his small backpack and his Charlton suit that he wore with pride.

For the Evening Standard, Bowyer said this:

– She will be a great young lady for us in the stands. He was the most loyal follower we had. What he did for this club was special, traveling and being there regardless of the weather and where he was.

Otherwise, the manager comes with a strong warning: