THE MOTHER of former Celtic player and manager Neil Lennon has passed away, his current club have confirmed.
Rapid Bucharest released a statement on Saturday saying the Lurgan native had returned home after his mother, Ursula, had suffered a second attack following several weeks in hospital.
It added that the following 48 hours were critical and that the manager had been granted leave to be with his family.
"The health of those close to us is always important," it added.
However, in a statement today, the Romanian club confirmed Lennon's mother had passed away this morning.
💬 Neil Lennon: "My beautiful mother, Ursula, passed away this morning at 10:51."
Be strong, Mister! pic.twitter.com/n3TJLvCWFt
— FC Rapid 1923 (@RapidFC1923) August 4, 2024
"Our coach's mother passed away this morning," read the statement on the Rapid website.
"Condolences to the Lennon family. We are with our coach in these difficult moments."
The club's social media accounts appeared to carry a message from Lennon, which read: "My beautiful mother, Ursula, passed away this morning at 10.51."
Lennon, who made 40 appearances for Northern Ireland, spent seven years as a player with Celtic, winning 11 major honours with the Glasgow club.
He subsequently managed the team over two spells, winning five titles, four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup.
The heartfelt thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic Football Club are with our former captain and manager, Neil Lennon, and his family following the sad passing of Neil's beloved mother, Ursula, earlier today.
RIP, Ursula 💚 pic.twitter.com/zMcQqbfoxR
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) August 4, 2024
In a statement Celtic said its thoughts were with the 53-year-old.
It read: "The heartfelt thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic Football Club are with our former captain and manager, Neil Lennon, and his family following the sad passing of Neil's beloved mother, Ursula, earlier today. RIP, Ursula."
Lennon, who has also managed Bolton Wanderers, Hibernian and Cypriot side Omonia, took over at Rapid in May.
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