Michael Wynn-Jones, the journalist and husband of the TV chef Delia Smith, has died at the age of 85. He was honorary life president of Norwich City football club.
Norwich City said everyone at the club was “deeply saddened” by his death. In a statement, the club said: “Michael died peacefully at home on Monday morning, aged 85. He will be greatly missed. His family are grateful for the wonderful care provided by the community nursing team at St Elizabeth hospice in Ipswich. Our deepest condolences are with Delia and Tom [Smith, the couple’s nephew], and with all of Michael’s family, friends and loved ones. At the family’s request, we ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”
Wynn-Jones lived with Smith near Stowmarket in Suffolk, and the couple had been married for more than 50 years. Together they oversaw several promotions to the Premier League for the Canaries and put the club on a solid financial footing. Smith had a more prominent, public role at Norwich City, but Wynn-Jones was reportedly regarded as a trusted adviser and influential figure in the boardroom.
Darren Huckerby, a former player for the club, posted a tribute saying Wynn-Jones “stayed out of the limelight but all at Norwich City FC owe him so much”. Norwich City Fans Social Club said in a statement: “All of us at NCFSC are devastated to hear the news about Michael Wynn-Jones passing. Michael is a true NCFC legend and what he did for the club cannot be underestimated. We are thinking of Delia, Tom and all of Michael’s family at this incredibly sad time. Rest in peace, Michael.”
Away from Norwich City, Wynn-Jones worked as a journalist for titles including the Daily Mirror and the Spectator, and founded his own publishing company. His connection with the club stretched back to April 1955, when he began attending games at the age of 13, and he wrote fondly of the club’s unlikely run to the FA Cup semi-final in 1959.
Smith previously told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs that she and Wynn-Jones bonded over their shared passion for food and football. In 2021 she said she rarely cooked at home, leaving Wynn-Jones to hover over the stove while she went “to the end of the garden”.