When death comes at an early age, when the person is in the prime of his life, it is always a sad experience, whether it happens through illness or tragedy. When the person who dies then is popular and well-loved, but who in desperation takes his own life, the sadness multiplies.

It happened last Sunday when the football world woke up to the news that Gary Speed, the Welsh national coach, had apparently committed suicide in his own home. The former Welsh international, still 42 years of age, had appeared on national TV a few hours earlier.

The mystery surrounding his death is still to be resolved, and it is possible that we will never know what pushed Gary Speed to the brink. Nobody can judge his action – actually, nobody should do it – and, in this moment of sadness, one can only look back to what Gary Speed the footballer and coach signified for a small footballing nation like Wales.

He did so much for the teams he played for, was respected on the field of play and, when he hung up his boots and turned to coaching, he was equally determined to succeed.

People who worked with him, who played football with him, and who were now training under his leadership, described him as a man who always loved what he was doing, and did his job with commitment and dedication.

He was respected by his adversaries, and had taken on the task of leading Wales with the same professionalism that distinguished him all throughout his career as a player.

The first thoughts after this tragedy go to his family, who will be the ones who will miss him the most.

But Wales and its people will also be poorer after what happened last Sunday. That Gary Speed was joking with his colleagues on TV just a few hours before he was found dead makes his death harder to accept and understand, but it should not dampen the spirit with which he lived.