Everton captain Phil Jagielka has paid tribute to Dave Hickson.
“Dave was always a friendly face at Goodison Park and he loved watching the team,” he said.
“There are many people who knew him better than me but he would come into the dressing room after games to take our Man of the Match into the lounges and he loved being amongst the lads.
“He was clearly an immensely popular person with everyone at Goodison and the supporters idolised him. He was a legend and always will be.
“On behalf of all the players at Everton I’d like to send our sympathy to the family. It’s a desperately sad time for all of us here at the club but even more so for his family.”