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Former Bristol City forward Marvin Brown has died from cancer at the age of 42.
Brown became the Championship club's youngest-ever player when he made his debut in September 1999 aged 16 years and 71 days.
He was selected for England's Under-16 and Under-17 sides and played 26 times for the Robins in all competitions before leaving for Forest Green Rovers in the summer of 2004.
He went on to play for Tamworth, Yeovil Town and Salisbury and also worked as a youth coach in his native Bristol, founding Total Pro Soccer, a development centre for young boys in the city.
He died on Monday, little more than a week after returning to his home in Calne, Wiltshire, where he received end-of-life care for cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer.
In the summer of 2024 he became the joint manager of Corsham Town FC, who also paid tribute to Brown as an "instant favourite" among supporters and staff - winning 10 games in a row after joining at a "very difficult time" for the club.
"[He] would always stay behind after the game to chat about life and football even towards the end of his time with the club when he was ill," they added.
"He will be sorely missed and we send our thoughts and condolences to his young family at this time."
Having previously suffered with a number of serious health concerns throughout his life, including being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022, Brown was unable to secure life insurance.
A fundraiser for his wife Alexis and two daughters has raised more than £63,000 in donations.
A charity match will see a Marvin Brown XI take on a Bristol City XI at Bath City's Twerton Park on 9 November to raise more funds.
One of those involved is Brown's former Bristol City team-mate Joe Burnell.
"I'll remember him as this really happy, funny, bright, caring, kind lad," he told BBC Radio Bristol.
"[He was] a product of the academy, and a lot of the boys who've come through are always pretty grounded individuals and he was certainly one of those.
"He was just such a nice, infectious, smiley character, one of life's good guys."
