Jean-Pierre Adams: Ex-France defender dies after 39 years in coma

Adams is reported to have passed away in the early hours of Monday, September 6, 2021, at the age of 73.

The ex-defender was born in Senegal but emigrated to France at a young age, where he started his professional football career.

He went on to play for several French clubs, including Nimes, OGC Nice and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Adams went into a coma in 1982 when he was administered a near-fatal dose of anaesthetic before a routine knee operation.

The medical error, caused by an overdose, led to brain damage, which put the defender in a coma for almost 40 years.

Although he couldn’t speak, he was always conscious and could move his eyes, smell and even hear.

Adams, while in coma, was being taken care of by his wife, Bernadette, who said he “smells, hears, jumps when a dog barks.”

The deceased played for the France national team in the 1970s, making a total of 22 appearances for Les Bleus.