David Moores, former Liverpool chairman and owner, dies aged 76

The former Liverpool chairman and owner David Moores has died at the age of 76.

Moores died on Friday, weeks after his wife of 39 years, Marge. He was Liverpool’s chairman for 16 years from 1991 until selling his stake to Tom Hicks and George Gillett in 2007, after which he became the honorary life president.

Sir Kenny Dalglish led the tributes to the lifelong Liverpool fan. The club legend said on Twitter: “Marina and I are both very saddened by the passing of David Moores. He was a loyal Liverpool fan whose dream came true when he was appointed chairman and he did a tremendous amount to help the club. Our condolences go to his family. He’ll be greatly missed by all who knew him. RIP”

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Moores was an heir to the Littlewoods retail empire, founded by his uncle Sir John Moores, Everton’s chairman in the 1960s and 1970s. The Moores family also held a majority stake in Liverpool for more than half a century and David Moores took over in September 1991.

He was chairman when Graeme Souness became the first Liverpool manager to be sacked since 1956 in January 1994 and, working closely alongside then chief executive, Rick Parry, oversaw the appointments of Roy Evans, Gérard Houllier and Rafael Benítez as manager. Although Liverpool did not win a Premier League title on Moores’ watch, they claimed 10 major honours, including the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul.

David Moores with one hand on the Champions League trophy on a parade to mark the 2005 Istanbul triumph. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

Moores came under increasing pressure to bring external investment into Liverpool as Manchester United dominated the domestic scene and, two years after Istanbul, he made the ill-fated decision to sell his shareholding to Hicks and Gillett. He would always regret the decision and in 2010 publicly appealed to the American duo to sell up with Liverpool in turmoil and in danger of administration. The rancour that followed that deal prompted Moores to stay away from his beloved Anfield for more than 10 years.

In a tribute Liverpool said: “He eventually left the boardroom in 2007 but, as a lifelong fan, his passion and support for the club remained throughout the rest of his life. David returned to Anfield for the first time in a decade to watch Jürgen Klopp’s side beat Everton 5-2 in December 2019. The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool FC are with David’s family and friends at this difficult time.”