Robin Friday - Post-retirement

Post-retirement

At the funeral I have never seen so many people ... When we got to the flat, the stairs and corridors leading to his mum's front door were packed with people.

After retiring, Friday moved back to London and returned to work as an asphalter and decorator. Soon after Friday left Cardiff, Reading manager Maurice Evans was presented with a petition, signed by 3,000 supporters, requesting that he attempt to re-sign Friday. Evans contacted Friday and told him: "If you would just settle down for three or four years, you could play for England". Friday replied with the question "How old are you?", and after Evans answered, continued: "I'm half your age and I've lived twice your life". Evans reflected, "You may well be right". Friday trained with Brentford during the 1978–79 pre-season, but after regaining his fitness suddenly changed his mind and stopped coming to training. He married for a third time in 1980, but was divorced again within three years. After a short time living back with his parents in Acton, Friday's family secured him a housing association flat in the area. He served prison time during the 1980s for impersonating a police officer and confiscating people's drugs, and was found dead in his Acton flat on 22 December 1990 at the age of 38, having suffered a fatal heart attack. Biographer Paolo Hewitt claimed the incident to be the result of "a suspected heroin overdose".