Former footballer Jean-Pierre Adams dies following 39-year coma

    By Matias Grez and Piers Edwards, CNN

    Updated 1244 GMT (2044 HKT) September 6, 2021

    Jean-Pierre Adams is a former France international who had spent the last 39 years in a coma.
    Photos: Jean-Pierre and Bernadette Adams: The greatest untold love story
    Jean-Pierre Adams: a life in pictures – Jean-Pierre Adams is a former France international who had spent the last 39 years in a coma.
    Hide Caption
    1 of 23
    He went into the coma on March 17, 1982 after a routine operation went wrong.
    Photos: Jean-Pierre and Bernadette Adams: The greatest untold love story
    Happier Times – He went into the coma on March 17, 1982 after a routine operation went wrong.
    Hide Caption
    2 of 23
    Hidden in the darkness, Jean-Pierre meets Pope Pius XII shortly after being taken to Europe by his grandmother from Senegal. The picture is from a scrapbook that Bernadette still holds.
    Photos: Jean-Pierre and Bernadette Adams: The greatest untold love story
    Papal Blessing – Hidden in the darkness, Jean-Pierre meets Pope Pius XII shortly after being taken to Europe by his grandmother from Senegal. The picture is from a scrapbook that Bernadette still holds.
    Hide Caption
    3 of 23
    Jean-Pierre and Bernadette celebrate the birth of son Laurent in 1969. Their eldest son, who now lives in Corsica, was 11 when his father's accident occurred.
    Photos: Jean-Pierre and Bernadette Adams: The greatest untold love story
    The Adams Family – Jean-Pierre and Bernadette celebrate the birth of son Laurent in 1969. Their eldest son, who now lives in Corsica, was 11 when his father's accident occurred.
    Hide Caption
    4 of 23
    Jean-Pierre and son Laurent in happier times. One of Bernadette's regrets is the absence of a father figure during her sons' upbringing and her inability to watch their sporting progress. "The accident certainly changed their lives. I didn't always follow Laurent's football, since I couldn't travel. He would go with the neighbors. The youngest did judo and from time to time, I went to watch him compete -- whenever I could -- but it wasn't often."
    Photos: Jean-Pierre and Bernadette Adams: The greatest untold love story
    Seventies Style – Jean-Pierre and son Laurent in happier times. One of Bernadette's regrets is the absence of a father figure during her sons' upbringing and her inability to watch their sporting progress. "The accident certainly changed their lives. I didn't always follow Laurent's football, since I couldn't travel. He would go with the neighbors. The youngest did judo and from time to time, I went to watch him compete -- whenever I could -- but it wasn't often."