A distraught Jamie Vardy broke down in tears on the pitch at the King Power Stadium on Monday as the son of club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha approached him during a moment of mourning.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha laid a wreath in the centre circle alongside his mother Aimon — Vichai's widow — after the players had gathered together, dressed in black to pay their respects.
Aiyawatt — commonly known as Top — went with his mother to acknowledge each player and member of the coaching staff in poignant scenes shared by the club's Twitter account.
Vichai, 60, died alongside two other passengers and two pilots on Saturday when his own helicopter spun out of control shortly after taking off from the centre circle following Leicester's draw with West Ham.
Vardy and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who was seen in tears outside of the stadium on Saturday night after the huge explosion rang around the ground, were visibly upset as the emotion of the occasion started to sink in.
Above one of the empty stands was a picture of Vichai with the message 'RIP'.
Behind the playing staff around the centre circle were the remainder of the club employees who were paying their respects.
The Leicester squad had earlier joined the Srivaddhanaprabha family as they took time to acknowledge the mass of shirts, scarves, flags, banners and flowers to have formed a shrine at the King Power Stadium.
As well as Vardy and Schmeichel, Harry Maguire, Matty James, James Maddison and Wes Morgan were among the players to take in the solemn scenes, just yards from the crash site.
Thousands of supporters have visited the club's stadium throughout Sunday and Monday to pay respects to their much-loved chairman.
Srivaddhanaprabha was a hugely popular figure at the club as he oversaw their rise from the Championship, the second-tier of English football, to become unlikely Premier League champions in 2016, beating 5,000-1 odds.
The billionaire perished with his assistant Kaveporn Punpare and Nursara Suknamai, a Thai beauty queen turned PA, when the aircraft spiralled into a 'dead man's curve' when its tail rotor apparently failed.
The AW169 AgustaWestland helicopter's hero pilot Eric Swaffer and his girlfriend co-pilot Izabela Lechowicz also died - but potentially saved hundreds of lives by crashing away from the crowds of fans still in the surrounding area.
On Monday, the Air Accident Investigation Branch [AAIB] confirmed they have found the aircraft's black box recorder and will be forensically examining the wreckage and crash site before moving it to Farnborough, Hampshire, by Friday.
Srivaddhanaprabha's wife Aimon and his heir Aiyawatt, who regularly flew with him, were in tears as they stood surrounded by the flowers, football shirts and scarves left by thousands of supporters at a growing shrine for the duty free mogul, who died 48 hours ago.
Both cried as they laid a giant wreath. They prayed in front of a portrait of their late father before the Leicester first team arrived and joined the family.
Goalkeeper Schmeichel penned a moving tribute to Vichai on Sunday evening after news of his death was confirmed by the club.
'I am so totally devastated and heartbroken,' Schmeichel wrote. 'I cannot believe what I saw. It just doesn't seem real!
'It is difficult to put into words how much you have meant to this football club and to the city of Leicester. You cared so deeply for the entire community. Your endless contribution to Leicester's hospitals and charities will never be forgotten.
'Never have I ever come across a man like you. You touched everyone. You changed football. Forever! You gave hope to everyone that the impossible was possible.
'When you signed me back in 2011 you said to me we would be in the Champions League within six years and we would do great things. You inspired me and I believed in you. You literally made my dreams come true.
'It breaks my heart to know I will never see you in the dressing room when I came in early from my warm-up and have a chat about everything and nothing. That you won't be there having fun and laughing with the boys and seeing your infectious smile and enthusiasm that rubbed off on everyone you came into contact with.
'We now have a responsibility as a club, as players, and fans to honour you. From knowing you we do this by being the family you created. By sticking together and supporting those closest to you through this horrendous time.'
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha laid a wreath in the centre circle alongside his mother Aimon — Vichai's widow — after the players had gathered together, dressed in black to pay their respects.
Aiyawatt — commonly known as Top — went with his mother to acknowledge each player and member of the coaching staff in poignant scenes shared by the club's Twitter account.
Vichai, 60, died alongside two other passengers and two pilots on Saturday when his own helicopter spun out of control shortly after taking off from the centre circle following Leicester's draw with West Ham.
Vardy and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who was seen in tears outside of the stadium on Saturday night after the huge explosion rang around the ground, were visibly upset as the emotion of the occasion started to sink in.
Above one of the empty stands was a picture of Vichai with the message 'RIP'.
Behind the playing staff around the centre circle were the remainder of the club employees who were paying their respects.
The Leicester squad had earlier joined the Srivaddhanaprabha family as they took time to acknowledge the mass of shirts, scarves, flags, banners and flowers to have formed a shrine at the King Power Stadium.
As well as Vardy and Schmeichel, Harry Maguire, Matty James, James Maddison and Wes Morgan were among the players to take in the solemn scenes, just yards from the crash site.
Thousands of supporters have visited the club's stadium throughout Sunday and Monday to pay respects to their much-loved chairman.
Srivaddhanaprabha was a hugely popular figure at the club as he oversaw their rise from the Championship, the second-tier of English football, to become unlikely Premier League champions in 2016, beating 5,000-1 odds.
The billionaire perished with his assistant Kaveporn Punpare and Nursara Suknamai, a Thai beauty queen turned PA, when the aircraft spiralled into a 'dead man's curve' when its tail rotor apparently failed.
The AW169 AgustaWestland helicopter's hero pilot Eric Swaffer and his girlfriend co-pilot Izabela Lechowicz also died - but potentially saved hundreds of lives by crashing away from the crowds of fans still in the surrounding area.
On Monday, the Air Accident Investigation Branch [AAIB] confirmed they have found the aircraft's black box recorder and will be forensically examining the wreckage and crash site before moving it to Farnborough, Hampshire, by Friday.
Srivaddhanaprabha's wife Aimon and his heir Aiyawatt, who regularly flew with him, were in tears as they stood surrounded by the flowers, football shirts and scarves left by thousands of supporters at a growing shrine for the duty free mogul, who died 48 hours ago.
Both cried as they laid a giant wreath. They prayed in front of a portrait of their late father before the Leicester first team arrived and joined the family.
Goalkeeper Schmeichel penned a moving tribute to Vichai on Sunday evening after news of his death was confirmed by the club.
'I am so totally devastated and heartbroken,' Schmeichel wrote. 'I cannot believe what I saw. It just doesn't seem real!
'It is difficult to put into words how much you have meant to this football club and to the city of Leicester. You cared so deeply for the entire community. Your endless contribution to Leicester's hospitals and charities will never be forgotten.
'Never have I ever come across a man like you. You touched everyone. You changed football. Forever! You gave hope to everyone that the impossible was possible.
'When you signed me back in 2011 you said to me we would be in the Champions League within six years and we would do great things. You inspired me and I believed in you. You literally made my dreams come true.
'It breaks my heart to know I will never see you in the dressing room when I came in early from my warm-up and have a chat about everything and nothing. That you won't be there having fun and laughing with the boys and seeing your infectious smile and enthusiasm that rubbed off on everyone you came into contact with.
'We now have a responsibility as a club, as players, and fans to honour you. From knowing you we do this by being the family you created. By sticking together and supporting those closest to you through this horrendous time.'
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