Status: 16.01.2024, 15:26 PM
By: Marius Epp
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Hertha president Kay Bernstein has died unexpectedly at the age of 43. What is known about his cause of death.
Berlin – Terrible news made the rounds on Tuesday (16 January): Kay Bernstein, president of the second division club Hertha BSC, passed away completely unexpectedly. "The entire club, its committees and employees are stunned and deeply dismayed," the traditional club mourns in a statement.
Initially, there was no official information about Bernstein's cause of death. According to information from the BZ in Berlin and several other media, it is suspected that the former lead singer of the Hertha fan curve died of a heart attack. Initially, however, there was no evidence to support this assumption.
Kay Bernstein died: cause of death still unclear
On Thursday, Bernstein is said to have traveled to the Hertha team for the training camp in Alicante (Spain), as reported by Bild. According to information from the Berliner Morgenpost, Bernstein went to bed at 23 p.m. on Monday. He didn't wake up on Tuesday morning.
Last October, Bernstein had an accident on the club grounds, in which he is said to have broken three vertebrae, according to Bild. There are no indications of a connection with his death.
The death of Hertha president Kay Bernstein came as a surprise to everyone. © IMAGO/Michael Taeger
Hertha president Kay Bernstein died unexpectedly – he had only been in office since 2022
Bernstein was once the lead singer of the club in the Ostkurve and was also socially involved at Hertha. At the general meeting on June 26, 2022, he was surprisingly elected president against the favored CDU politician Frank Steffel and another competitor. He succeeded Werner Gegenbauer, who had led the club for a long time. His election was also seen as a slap in the face for the Hertha establishment, which in parts openly wanted to push through its opponent Frank Steffel.
An ex-ultra at the helm of a club that was still playing in the Bundesliga at the time was a novelty. Bernstein always addressed problems clearly. He made the association and the office more approachable again. This was not only evident with his ubiquitous Hertha training jacket, which he wore most of the time.
Hertha was shocked by the death. In the 2nd Bundesliga, the capital club is in seventh place after 17 matchdays. On Sunday, coach Pal Dardai's team will play their first game of the year against Fortuna Düsseldorf at the Olympic Stadium. (epp/dpa)