They say you should never meet heroes, but he was absolutely the exception," he said.
The television host revealed his continued grief in the days following the announcement. "I shed a tear last week, and I shed another one this morning," Donnelly said.
Co-host Anthony McPartlin echoed the sentiment regarding Keegan's transformative arrival as manager in 1992.
"Words like legends and saviours get bandied around, but he did – he saved our club when he came back as manager," McPartlin said.
McPartlin closed his remarks by summarizing Keegan's standing among supporters.
"He’s a true legend of the game, and to Newcastle United supporters, and he will be missed," he said.
Keegan first arrived at Newcastle in 1982 as a player, securing promotion to the First Division before returning as manager in 1992, where he led the team to two top-two Premier League finishes before resigning in 1997.
Former manager Keegan had noted his ambitions during the 1995-96 campaign when Newcastle held a 12-point lead at the top of the table before finishing as runners-up.
"So far so good," Keegan said.
Keegan had outlined his core goal for the club during his managerial tenure.
"It’s my ambition to fill that cabinet with new trophies as none have any real significance for today’s Newcastle supporters.
The first one is always the most difficult to win, but if it’s the Premier League trophy this season, then I’ll feel that at least the first one was worth the wait," he said.
