In the wake of professional golfer Grayson Murray's suicide, Pulse Sports casts a grim look into some of the prominent sports personalities who ended it all.
In the realm of sports, the spotlight often shines brightly on the triumphs and successes of athletes.
However, behind the glitz and glamour, there are stories of struggle and pain that sometimes end in tragedy.
Suicide is a somber reality that has touched the lives of numerous footballers, leaving behind a legacy of sorrow and reflection.
Here are 10 renowned sports stars who took their own lives.
Aaron Hernadez
Hernandez was a professional American football player. After being convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, he got acquitted in a different double-murder trial. Hernandez upon learning this, hanged himself by his bed sheets in his prison cell.
Garry speed 1969-2011
Beginning his professional career as a footballer in 1988 for Leeds, he went on to become the first player to make 500 Premier League appearances. However, a day after appearing in a television show, speed was found suspended in the garage of his home.
Robert Enke 1977-2009
Said to be one of the finest German goalkeepers, Enke started his professional career with Carl Zeiss Jena and made his debut for the club in 1995 against Hannover, which he signed for later in his career.
It was here at Hannover where he made his name. In November 10 2009, the German goalkeeper stood in front of a regional express train at a level crossing. His wife revealed that he had been dealing with depression after the death of their daughter in 2006.
Andreas Biermann 1980-2014
Andreas Biermann was a German professional footballer who played as a defender. Biermann began his professional career with Hertha BSC, a club based in Berlin, where he made appearances for the reserve team.
His professional career was overshadowed by struggles with depression and mental health issues. Biermann was open about his battles with depression, and he became an advocate for mental health awareness in football.
Tragically, Andreas Biermann took his own life on July 18, 2014, at the age of 33.
Dale Roberts 1986-2010
Goalkeeper for his native North East side of Sunderland and Middlesbrough. Roberts made his debut for England C against Malta in the 2009/10 season and played in all four England C games, getting voted England C player of the season in the process. His last appearance came against Wales in September 2010.
He died at the age of 24 in 2010 after he hung himself at his home. The cause of his death was asphyxiation, and it is believed that he took this extreme step due to his injury and because it had come to light in the national media that his fiancée was having an affair with one of his teammates.
David Bystron 1982-2017
A Czech footballer who tragically took his own life in 2008. Bystron played as a goalkeeper and had represented several clubs in the Czech Republic, including FC Viktoria Plzeň and FC Slovan Liberec. David hang in his house in IIanz Switzerland.
Charles Adam 1962-2012
Charles Adam was a Scottish professional footballer who has played primarily as a midfielder. He has had a career spanning various clubs in Scotland and England. Adam started his professional career with Rangers before moving on to play for clubs such as St. Mirren, Blackpool, Stoke City, and Dundee.
Sergi López Segú 1967-2006
He was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender. Sergi López Segú spent most of his career at FC Barcelona B, the reserve team of FC Barcelona, but he didn't make significant appearances for the first team.
Justin Fashanu 1961-1998
The first English footballer who openly accepted his homosexuality. In 1998 he was accused of improper sexual act in the United States and was charged. He ran away to England where he killed himself in May the same year.
Eduardo Guillermo Bonvallet 1955-2015
Eduardo Guillermo Bonvallet was a Chilean former professional footballer and football manager who later became a sports commentator and television personality.
Despite his brilliant contributions to chillean football and sports media, the Chilean faced terminal illness that was the reason to him ending his own life.