Jean-Pierre Adams, a former footballer from Senegal and France, passed away last September 6th, 2020 at the age of 73 after being in a coma for 39 years. The news of his death was confirmed by the former clubs of the African footballer: Nimes Olympique, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Nice.
Who was Jean-Pierre Adams?
Born in Dakar, Senegal, on March 10th, 1948, Adams began his career in Fontainebleau. During that time, he was one of the first Afro-descendant players to compete with the club.
Nicknamed “The Black Rock”, he arrived in France in 1958, where he began his career as a professional footballer 12 years later. He spent three years playing at the Olympique de Nîmes (1970-73) and four years as part of Nice’s squad (1973-77) before taking the great leap of his career: signing for PSG, where he played for only 2 seasons (1977- 79).
Regarding his participation with the French national team, the defender will be remembered for his association with Maurius Trésor, with whom he formed a central pair known as “La garde noire” (The Black Guard). Additionally, and most importantly, he accumulated 22 international matches between 1972 and 1976.
Hospitalization and death
In March 1982, he was hospitalized at Édouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon. There, Adams underwent surgery for a damaged tendon in his knee. However, the “numerous errors” of the medical personnel who treated him caused the footballer to be incorrectly intubated during the procedure. Errors were made by his anesthetist and a trainee, who later admitted to being “not up to the task”. Since a tube blocked the way to his lungs, he suffered bronchospasm which led him to suffer cardiac arrest and brain damage for lack of oxygen.
After slipping into a coma, the 34-year-old Adams was cared for at his home in France until his death on September 6th, 2020. Adams and his wife Bernadette were married in April 1969 and had two sons, Laurent (born 1969) and Frédéric (1976)
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