Brighton and Hove Albion ‘devastated’ by restaurant owner murder: ‘Donatello’s is woven into the fabric of the club’
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Susan, 69, owned iconic Brighton restaurant Donatello’s – a former shirt sponsor of the club and host of annual meals, fundraisers and celebrations.
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Hide AdSeagulls owner Tony Bloom said everyone at the club was ‘devastated’ by the news.
Sue had always been a great supporter of the Albion, and Donatello’s is woven into the fabric of the club – both literally and metaphorically,” he said.
“As shirt sponsor, they supported the club in some of its toughest times, and have remained as a loyal backer ever since, sponsoring the family stand and the dugout in recent seasons. And even more than that it is the warm and genuine welcome players, staff and fans have always been afforded in the restaurants over the years.
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Hide Ad“Be it our annual pre-season meal for the directors, staff and players; Christmas dinners or many of the charity fundraisers we’ve held at Donatello, Sue and the boys have always been fabulous hosts. We held our celebrations there when we were given permission to build the stadium, and they opened the doors to film with US TV network NBC on our promotion to the Premier League; supplying hungry crew with endless pasta and pizza.
“Sue was a great supporter of the club, by our side or on our shirt through the good and bad times, and our deepest condolences go out to Sue’s family, in particular Pietro, sons Leo, Stefano and Mikele, and her many friends.”
Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle also paid tribute to Sue, whose impact on Brighton stretched far beyond her ownership of Donatello’s.
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Hide Ad“Sue was a stalwart of Brighton and Hove, she wasn’t only the owner of the iconic Donatello’s but was passionate about her charity and community work,” said Mr Russell-Moyle.
“Her passing comes as a huge shock to us all and although she will be dearly missed her legacy will remain in all she gave to the community.”
Tributes have already been flooding in following the tragic news from Thursday. Read more here: Woman found dead in Brighton named locally by MPs as Donatello ownerA 17-year-old boy, who police said was known to Sue, was charged with her murder last night. Read more here: Boy, 17, charged with murder of iconic Sussex restaurant owner