A devoted Oasis fan who fell to his death at Wembley Stadium slipped on a beer-covered floor, his grieving father has claimed, as questions mount over safety measures at the iconic London venue following a similar incident four years ago.
Lee Claydon, 45, a landscape gardener from Bournemouth, plummeted from the stadium’s upper tier during the band’s sold-out reunion concert on Saturday evening, dying at the scene despite desperate attempts by medics to save his life in front of horrified spectators.
The father-of-one’s family have now shared heartbreaking final photographs from the concert, showing Mr Claydon enjoying what should have been a celebration of Oasis’s first tour in 16 years.
Father Points to Slippery Conditions
Clive Claydon, 75, has spoken publicly about the circumstances surrounding his son’s death, claiming that spilled beer created hazardous conditions in the upper tier where the fatal fall occurred.
There was beer all over the floor, it was really slippery, and Lee just slipped and fell,” the devastated father told The Sun. “I’ve been told that it was an accident waiting to happen. It was a horrible, horrible accident.”
Mr Claydon said his son, who had attended the concert with his brother Aaron and his niece and nephew, may have had “a couple of beers” but had not taken any drugs and was not intoxicated.
“All I really know is there was beer everywhere, he slipped. We don’t know the rest of it,” he said. “I wasn’t there so I don’t know what happened, but it will all come out. I am so devastated.”
Final Moments Captured
Mr Claydon’s niece, Lilly Claydon, shared what would become the last photograph of her uncle on social media, showing the pair together at the stadium. “What a night we all had lee. The best uncle, I have no words I’ll never forget you uncle lee lee,” she wrote in an emotional tribute.
The tragedy occurred near the end of the concert, with witnesses reporting that Mr Claydon fell as fireworks exploded over Wembley whilst the band performed their closing song, Champagne Supernova.
One witness told the Daily Mail they initially thought “it was a coat falling from the above tier” before realising the horrifying truth. “It was horrific,” they said, describing seeing paramedics attempting to revive Mr Claydon on the concrete floor below.
Band’s Emotional Tribute
Liam and Noel Gallagher issued a statement saying they were “shocked and saddened” by the incident. During Sunday night’s performance, Liam appeared to reference the tragedy before performing Live Forever, telling the crowd: “This one’s for all the people who can’t be here tonight, but who are here if you know what I mean.”
The poignant dedication came as the band continued their reunion tour, which has seen them perform to more than 400,000 fans across five nights at Wembley.
Questions Over Stadium Safety
The incident has reignited concerns about safety at Wembley Stadium after a witness to a similar fall in 2021 questioned whether lessons had been learned. Stephanie Good, 39, an NHS manager from east London, watched a man fall from the upper tier during a Euro 2021 match between England and Croatia.
“When this happened the other day, I thought: ‘That’s so similar to what happened when we were there and it’s four years ago’,” Mrs Good told the Press Association. “It makes me wonder, were lessons learned?”
The man in the 2021 incident, named only as Jon, survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and a fractured pelvis. Mrs Good criticised what she called an “inadequate” emergency response at the time and said she was never contacted for a witness statement.
Paul Hunter, 53, a physiotherapist who helped Jon after his fall, said he was “pretty poor” that Wembley never contacted him following the incident. “To have one accident’s unfortunate, I can understand that. But now someone’s died from it,” he said.
Family’s Desperate Search for Answers
Mr Claydon’s father has demanded answers from Wembley about safety measures at the venue. “I can’t understand how it happened. I’ve never been to Wembley, but you would expect the health and safety to be good,” he said.
The grieving father described his son as “a lovely bloke” who “loved to be with his family” and was due to go on holiday to Turkey with his partner and son. “He had everything going for him. I am so devastated, I have been to the doctor for tablets and everything to get over it,” he said.
Mr Claydon’s brother Aaron has set up a GoFundMe page to support Lee’s partner Amanda and teenage son Harry, which has already raised more than £17,000. “Lee was a loving family man who was a role model to his son Harry and was loved so much by all his family,” Aaron wrote. “He was taken from us far too soon.”
Investigation Launched
The Metropolitan Police are treating the death as unexplained and have urged witnesses to come forward. “The stadium was busy and we believe it is likely a number of people witnessed the incident, or may knowingly or unknowingly have caught it on mobile phone video footage,” a spokesperson said.
The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the incident, whilst Wembley Stadium insisted it “operates to a very high health and safety standard” and is certified to ISO 45001 standards.
“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue,” a stadium spokesperson said.
Concert Alcohol Sales Under Scrutiny
Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, who attended the concert, raised concerns about alcohol consumption at the venue. “The cause was the massive amount of alcohol allowed into the arena. I was astounded to see it. It wouldn’t happen at a football match. It shouldn’t happen at a concert,” he wrote on social media.
Reports suggest Wembley set an all-time alcohol sales record during the Oasis concerts, with an estimated 250,000 pints sold each night across the five sold-out shows.
A Life Cut Short
Mr Claydon had been looking forward to the concert for weeks, with social media posts showing his excitement about seeing Oasis live. His brother Aaron had posted on Facebook before the show using lyrics from Wonderwall: “Today is gonna be the day,” to which Lee replied simply: “Cheers our kid.”
His cousin Shannon Robbie said she was sure he was “having the time of his life” before tragedy struck. “You just don’t fathom you will go out for a night of amazing fun and not come home at the end of it,” she said.
As the investigation continues and the Claydon family mourn their devastating loss, questions remain about whether adequate safety measures are in place at one of Britain’s most iconic venues, and whether the tragic death of a devoted music fan could have been prevented.
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