Former England captain Terry Butcher’s son had split from his wife before his sudden death and had been unwell for a long time, his neighbours revealed.
Christopher Butcher, 35, still lived with his wife, Laura, at their semi-detached home in Warrington, Cheshire.
His death was announced by his younger brother Edward in an emotional Facebook post in which he described Christopher as ‘my hero’.
War hero Christopher had previously revealed he struggled to cope after leaving the Army following the stresses of serving in Afghanistan. He described himself on Facebook as ‘just a moody bitter vet’.
Their next-door neighbour, who did not give his name, said: ‘Christopher still lived there – in fact I saw him last week.
The Army veteran son of former former England football captain Terry Butcher, 35-year-old Christopher (pictured) has died suddenly
Christopher, 35, still lived with his wife, Laura, at their semi-detached home in Warrington, Cheshire
‘He had been having treatment for a while for his post-traumatic stress disorder.
‘He’d told me he was struggling because of what he’d seen in the war. He was always coming and going while he got treatment.
‘But they had basically split up. Laura will be devastated.’
Another neighbour said: ‘It’s a terrible news.
‘Him and Laura had split up a long time ago but she obviously still cared for him.’
Laura’s mother’s car remained parked outside the home but there was no sign of either of them.
His shock death was announced by his younger brother Edward Butcher, 31, via the social media site and prompted a raft of condolences and tributes.
Christopher (left), who was 35 and the ex-defender’s (right) oldest son, had struggled to cope with the stresses of serving in Afghanistan
Their father had previously spoken of his pride at Christopher’s service in the Army, but said in one interview, ‘When he told me about going into that compound in Afghanistan, feeling the bullets pinging off his helmet, well…’
The 31-year-old posted: ‘It is with the upmost sadness that I regret to say that my brother Christopher Butcher has passed away this morning.
‘My older brother was the best brother I can ever of asked for and his death has hit the entire family hard.
‘The family are together and we will release the dates of the funeral in due time. I wanted to put this on Facebook to inform all who knew him.
‘We know how greatly he was loved and we’re sorry that we can’t call every person who knew him to tell them.’
He then posted another message saying: ‘Chris you were my hero, you were my best friend and you were someone I would throw myself in the way of a truck for!
‘This is for you and thank you for everything you ever taught me and I will miss you for the rest of my life but you will never be forgotten!’
Terry 58, was capped 77 times by England, and is most famous for his heavily-bloodied head and shirt during a game against Sweden in 1989
Scores of people responded to the post to pay tribute to the former Army Captain.
One said: ‘Hello sir, I served with your brother in Iraq. …he was my commander and a top bloke….sorely will be missed. .RIP boss’.
Another added: ‘Incredibly sorry and heartbroken to hear this Ed. He was a an amazing guy and will be missed by so many’.
His father, 58, was capped 77 times by England, and is most famous for his heavily-bloodied head and shirt during a World Cup Qualifier against Sweden in 1989.
In his club career, he won the UEFA Cup with Ipswich, as well as three Scottish titles with Rangers, before managing the likes of Coventry, Sunderland and, most recently, Newport County.
He had previously spoken of his pride at Christopher’s service in the Army, but said in one interview, ‘When he told me about going into that compound in Afghanistan, feeling the bullets pinging off his helmet, well…’ before being overcome with emotion.