NOTTINGHAM â When James Kerry walked onto the City Ground pitch beside Morgan Gibbs-White, it was a moment his family had worked towards through months of treatment and the difficult task of learning to walk again. His father later said James described the experience as âthe best day everâ.
Now Nottingham Forest are mourning the young supporter whose friendship with the midfielder became a source of comfort during his illness. In a statement shared by the club, Forest said James died on Tuesday morning following his fight against cancer.
âThroughout his illness, James and Morgan shared a beautiful friendship, which meant so much to everyone at the club,â Forest said.
The club said James would be remembered with affection and deeply missed, offering condolences to his parents, Paul and Katie, and his younger brother, Freddie.
A friendship that began with handmade bracelets
James was seven when he was diagnosed with metastatic medulloblastoma in April 2024. His familyâs fundraising page explains that the brain cancer had spread to his spine and that intensive treatment meant he had to learn to walk again.
According to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, James first became unwell with sickness and headaches. Treatment included surgery, chemotherapy and six weeks of weekday radiotherapy.
During that time, he began making personalised bracelets and keyrings to raise money for childrenâs brain tumour research. He also made bracelets for Forest players, meeting Gibbs-White during a visit to the training ground.
Morgan gave him a signed shirt carrying the message âget well soon and stay strongâ, along with signed football boots. When Forest visited the childrenâs hospital at Christmas, James gave his favourite player a present and greeted him with a high-five.
James called the visit âthe best feeling in the worldâ. His fundraising reached beyond football, too: after he sent keyrings to the King and Queen, Queen Camilla sent a letter and a donation.
The birthday walk and a day James never forgot
For his eighth birthday in February 2025, James chose another way to help other children. His family organised a walk around Nottingham Forestâs City Ground on February 21, five days before his birthday, raising money for the University of Nottinghamâs Childrenâs Brain Tumour Research Centre.
Nottingham Local News reported that Gibbs-White joined James for the walk and gave him match tickets as a birthday gift.
On March 8, 2025, James returned to walk out with Morgan before Forest beat Manchester City 1â0. He met players arriving at the ground and watched the warm-up from beside the pitch.
âJames was nervous but very excited to walk out with Morgan,â his father Paul told the publication. James also received a mention from commentator Guy Mowbray on Match of the Day.
Behind those happy moments, the family continued to face serious setbacks. In a June 2026 fundraiser, Katie said James had relapsed in 2025 and suffered a stroke in April 2026 following further treatment.
She said the family and their supporters had raised more than ÂŁ50,000 for brain tumour research and childrenâs cancer charities since his diagnosis.
The newer appeal was for something closer to home: an accessible garden where James and Freddie could spend time together. James wanted a red supportive swing, a bug hotel and a raised fruit-and-vegetable planter. Freddie wanted monkey bars.
Those small wishes sit alongside the bigger public moments in Jamesâs story: handmade gifts, a birthday walk, and the chance to step onto the pitch with his football hero. Forest ended their tribute with a simple message: âRest in peace, James.â
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