The Kelce family is heartbroken. Ed Kelce, father of NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce, has just lost his partner—and the grief is hitting hard. Known for their tough exterior on the field, the Kelce brothers showed a different side as they stood by their dad, sharing emotional words that brought fans to tears.

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Ed Kelce, the father of Travis and Jason, has announced the death of his partner, Maureen Maguire.

Kelce shared an obituary on his Facebook page on Saturday afternoon revealing that she had passed away on August 1 at the age of 74, surrounded by loved ones.

The obituary describes Kelce as Maguire’s ‘beloved friend’ but she has repeatedly been referred to as Ed’s girlfriend amid the family’s whirlwind rise to fame over the last three years.

Once, according to an interview Ed gave to the LA Times, she even jokingly told Taylor Swift ‘hey, that’s my boyfriend’ when the singer took a selfie with Travis and Jason’s father at an NFL game.

‘She also grew an unexpected love for football later in life, sharing many laughs and adventures with her beloved friend Ed Kelce and her loyal dog Butch,’ the obituary said.

‘Together, they traveled often and attended football games and concerts, and embraced every opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.’

Ed Kelce announced on Facebook that his partner Maureen Maguire has passed away

Ed pictured alongside his youngest son Travis, wearing his Kansas City Chiefs jersey

Ed pictured celebrating with Taylor Swift when the Chiefs made the Super Bowl earlier this year

Ed was being sent plenty of messages of support on social media on Saturday night from friends who saw his announcement.

It isn’t known when Ed first met Maureen, or how. But Ed and Donna Kelce, the mother of Travis and Jason, went their separate ways after nearly 25 years of marriage around the time their sons were at college. They remained friends as Travis and Jason have become two of the most famous names in the NFL.

‘I don’t hate him. We’re friends to this day. We get along great,’ Donna once said of Ed.

‘We were like a tag team with you two (Travis and Jason). We got to do all sorts of fun things. When one of you had to go out of town, the other person would help with the other child. It was perfect.’

In a 2023 documentary about the family, Ed explained that he and Donna stayed together to be better parents.

‘If we had split as we probably both would have preferred, that would have been a nightmare with the logistics, getting kids where they had to be and providing all the support,’ he said,

In 2023, the Super Bowl became known as ‘the Kelce Bowl’ due to the brothers facing each other on opposing teams when Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs beat Jason’s Philadelphia Eagles.

Later that year, the family were propeled into unprecedented levels of fame when Travis and Taylor went public with their romance.

Ed and Maureen pictured together at an NFL game, supporting Travis and the Chiefs

Kelce is currently in Chiefs camp, preparing for the beginning of the 2025 season

Jason Kelce works as an NFL analyst for ESPN after retiring from the NFL back in 2024

Ed, who is also 74, recently told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview how Maureen was with him when he met the Eras Tour star for the first time.

Since then, he has forged a close bond with one of music’s biggest ever stars. Swift even seemingly refers to Ed in her song ‘So High School’.

‘I feel like laughing in the middle of practice / To that impression you did of your dad again,’ Swift sings – Travis has repeatedly performed an impersonation of his dad on his New Heights podcast, which he hosts with his brother Jason.

Ed has always spoken glowingly about Swift and her influence on his son – who affectionatelty calls him ‘Papa’. He described her as ‘a very smart, young lady’ and ‘a joy to be around’ before February’s Super Bowl.

Donna was at Kansas City Chiefs traning camp on Saturday, watching Travis preparing for the new season.

The Chiefs tight end, 35, nearly retired after Kansas City lost this year’s Super Bowl against the Eagles in New Orleans.

At one stage, Kelce looked finished but eventually decided that he did not want to end his career on such a low note.

The Chiefs start the new season in Brazil on September 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers before a Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles at Arrowhead on Week 2.