The 23-year-old died earlier this month<\/a>, sparking a wave of tributes from around the football community.<\/p>\n Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n Spicer, a former North Melbourne draftee, played the past two years with Footscray in the VFL and had signed with local club Hoppers Crossing for 2026.<\/p>\n His partner Ky-ya Nicholson Ward has now issued a statement revealing Spicer had never shown signs of illness prior to his death.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve decided to share what happened to my darling Phoenix, not because I have to, but because I want to raise awareness,\u201d Ky-ya wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cPhoenix took his last breath on Friday the second of January but he DID NOT take his own life.<\/p>\n \u201cI found him… we tried with everything we could to save him but we didn\u2019t know he was already gone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the most traumatic experience of my life.<\/p>\n \u201cDays later we found out that Phoenix passed into the Dreaming from a sudden brain aneurysm. He never complained of headaches or showed any signs that something was wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, if you can, get checked and listen to your body. This can happen to anyone, at any time.<\/p>\n \u201cMy heart is broken.\u201d<\/p>\n Ky-ya separately shared a photo of the pair with a gut-wrenching caption: \u201cI\u2019m so f***ing lost without you.\u201d<\/p>\n Spicer was drafted by North Melbourne out of South Australia in 2020 and made his debut the following year.<\/p>\n He went on to play 11 more games over the next two seasons, while also playing a role in designing their 2023 Indigenous Round jumper, before being delisted by the Kangaroos.<\/p>\n North Melbourne said they were \u201cdeeply saddened by the sudden passing\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cPhoenix was only at the club for a short time but he was a popular and well-liked member of the playing group,\u201d club president Sonja Hood said in a statement on January 3.<\/p>\n \u201cOn behalf of the club, I would like pass on my condolences to Phoenix\u2019s family and friends at this extremely sad time.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bulldogs also offered their condolences to the Spicer family, while his junior club South Adelaide said they were \u201cshocked\u201d by the news.<\/p>\n \u201cPhoenix will be remembered as a talented footballer and a much-loved member of our club community,\u201d the Panthers said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur thoughts are with Phoenix\u2019s family, friends, and all who knew him during this incredibly difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Phoenix](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768781832_516_e689b525373be6547a62cda3d7703f9c041de59e.jpg\")
Phoenix Spicer lines up in the Indigenous jumper he helped design in 2023. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n