Worcester's Eric Cantona died from natural causes

An inquest held at Worcestershire Coroner’s Court in Stourport heard Ben Gormley was a life-long sufferer of an underactive thyroid and had been on thyroxine since birth.

However, an autopsy revealed the drug was not in his system when he died, indicating he had not taken his medication for some time. It is not clear why he stopped.

Worcestershire coroner, Geraint Williams, said weight gain was a side-effect of this and the 28-year-old died when his organs could no longer cope with his body mass.

The cause of death was recorded as cardio respiratory failure caused by morbid obesity and Mr Williams concluded he died from natural causes.

Mr Gormley, who adopted the enigmatic French striker’s name in 2010, was found dead at his home in Canada Way, Lower Wick, on May 11 this year by a neighbour.

The popular former Christopher Whitehead Language College pupil described himself as a “massive Manchester United supporter” who loved comedy and was “obsessed” with music.

Speaking after the inquest, his parents paid tribute to their son.

Wayne Gormley, aged 52, of Bransford Road, St John’s, said: “He was one of the few people I haven’t heard a bad word against. He was polite and kind.”

Mum, Deborah Hale, also 52 and of St John’s, said his love for Man United began from a young age.

She said: “We used to get some looks when his name was called out for appointments, but it was quite funny really.

“There were a lot of people at his funeral and we received a signed letter from Sir Alex Ferguson. It was really nice to get that.

“Ben was about three when he first got into Man United and he just loved them from day one. He was an avid fan of football and of music. He liked a lot of dance stuff and was a massive fan of Robbie Williams. He had very wide taste in music, from the 60s to present day.

“He was very funny. He had a very dry sense of humour and he loved comedy.”