Bill Kenwright CBE, the acclaimed theatre and film producer and Everton’s chairman for the past 19 years, has died aged 78.
As well as producing stage hits including the long-running West End hit Blood Brothers and the record-breaking UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat under his Bill Kenwright Limited banner, Kenwright was an established film producer, most recently lending his support to the Fred Durst-directed, John Travolta-starring 2019 thriller The Fanatic.
As an actor, he played Gordon Clegg in Coronation Street from 1968 to 2012 and appeared in comedy classics including The Liver Birds and Carry On Matron.
Kenwright also ran his own record label, Bill Kenwright Records, which released three albums – the 2006 Lyric Theatre cast recording of Cabaret; the 2007 London Palladium cast recording of Scrooge, starring Tommy Steele, and in February 2008 the debut album by Kenwright’s new boy group Dream On, comprised of five runners up from the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do.
Kenwright had served as Everton chair since 2004, having initially joined the board in 1989. He led an unsuccessful takeover bid in 1994 – perhaps inevitably given that the local press dubbed his co-conspirators “The Manchester Consortium” – but finally succeeded in taking over a 68 per cent majority share of the club in 1999 as part of an entertainment industry-heavy consortium that also included Apollo Leisure chief Paul Gregg, comedian and Hat Trick Productions founder Jimmy Mulville and Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine (and Blood Brothers) writer Willy Russell.
Everton announced Kenwright’s passing on Twitter saying: “Everton Football Club is in mourning following the death of Chairman Bill Kenwright CBE, who passed away peacefully last night aged 78, surrounded by his family and loved ones.”
The club added in a statement: “Everton’s longest serving chairman for more than a century, Bill Kenwright led the Club through a period of unprecedented change in English football.
“A lifelong Evertonian, he became a board member on October 23, 1989, and then on Boxing Day 1999 his True Blue Holdings consortium acquired the Club. Initially vice-chairman, he succeeded his close friend Sir Philip Carter as Chair in 2004.
“In his 19 seasons as Chairman, the Club secured 12 top eight finishes, including a top four finish in 2005, a run to the 2009 FA Cup final and European qualification on 6 separate occasions.
“The club has lost a chairman, a leader, a friend, and an inspiration. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Everton are with his partner Jenny Seagrove, his daughter Lucy Kenwright, grandchildren and everybody who knew and loved him.”
City rivals Liverpool FC were among the first to pay tribute to Kenwright on social media:
Along with Sky Sports News North West regional news editor Alan Myers:
Kenwright’s former co-owner Russell was also among those paying their respects:
Kenwright was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and was recently in intensive care after complications during surgery to remove a tumour from his liver. Everton said this month that he had returned home and was expected to make a “lengthy but complete” recovery.
