Reynolds' surprise to family after Wrexham fan, 15, dies
Hollywood star and Wrexham AFC co-owner Ryan Reynolds has paid a moving tribute to a teenage fan whose ashes were scattered at the club’s ground earlier this year.
Aiden Waller, 15, from Essex, died in February after a three-year battle with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer. A devoted Marvel and Deadpool fan, Aiden’s ashes were spread across the Racecourse Ground, but with the pitch needing replacement for the new season, Reynolds made sure Aiden’s memory would not be lost.
Ahead of Wrexham’s friendly against West Brom on Saturday, Reynolds presented the Waller family with a glass plaque containing preserved turf from the spot where Aiden’s ashes had been laid.
The plaque, engraved with the words:
“Aiden Waller: Wrexham legend. Friend to Deadpool. Then. Now. Forever.”
left the family overwhelmed.
“It was a real emotional moment — something we didn’t expect at all,” said Aiden’s mother, Sarah Waller, speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
“The wording he put on was absolutely stunning. Aiden would have been ecstatic. He would have loved it.”
Sarah revealed Reynolds personally revised the inscription several times to make sure it was perfect.
“He did say to us that it was special for him just to give it to us. It is beautiful. Ryan even joked that if we light it properly, we might be able to make a rainbow out of it.”
The actor, she added, had been in touch with the family since Aiden’s funeral.
“He called me the day after and said, if we spread the ashes on the pitch, he’d sneakily put a bit in the goal. His idea all along was to save Aiden’s piece of the pitch.”
A fighter remembered
Sarah described her son as “the most courageous, brave, and inspiring kid I’ve ever encountered,” saying he endured each setback with humour and positivity.
“His character has no words,” she said. “He fought osteosarcoma for three years, battling every piece of bad news with a smile.”
Reynolds previously posted a photo of Aiden’s ashes being scattered in March, and on Saturday shared a second picture of the presentation to his family.
For Sarah, the gesture shows just how much Wrexham’s celebrity owners care about their fans.
“It just goes to show how much respect Ryan has for supporters, that he’d go the extra mile to make sure we’re understood. We’re from Essex, but now we’ll always have a constant link with Wrexham.”
