Emlyn Hughes, the former England and Liverpool captain whose distinctive voice and infectious laugh endeared him to a generation of television viewers on A Question of Sport, has died from a brain tumour at the age of 57.
Labelled Crazy Horse because of the way he charged around the field, Hughes won two European Cups, four league championships, an FA Cup and a Footballer of the Year award, and never missed a day's training during his illustrious career.
He had been suffering from cancer for 15 months, but according to his wife, Barbara, his condition had deteriorated in the last few days and he died at home in Sheffield with his family around him yesterday morning.
The brain tumour - which he described as being "very nasty" - was diagnosed after he collapsed at his home suffering from headaches a day after playing in a charity football match.
Chemotherapy took its toll on Hughes. He was virtually unable to walk and his eyesight was affected.
Friends and former colleagues praised Hughes as a "complete one-off" and an "absolute hero".
"He was just such a lovely and enthusiastic bloke," said Bill Beaumont, the former England rugby captain who for many years was his opposite captain on A Question of Sport. "He liked the dressing-room humour, that mickey-taking, and he was trying to laugh at himself as well."
A Liverpool club spokesman said: "Those lucky enough to see him play will recall his boundless enthusiasm, 100 per cent commitment to the cause and unrelenting passion for the club whenever he had the Liver Bird close to his chest."
Ray Clemence, his former team-mate at the club, said: "It's a very sad day. One of the greats of a great Liverpool side is no longer with us."
The son of a professional rugby league player, Hughes was born in Barrow-in-Furness, in 1947.
He began his playing career at Blackpool, but was signed by Bill Shankly for Liverpool in 1967, playing 657 games during 12 years at Anfield. He also made 62 appearances for his country - 23 as captain - his last coming in 1980.
Hughes moved to Wolves in 1979, and a year later his new team won the League Cup while he was awarded an OBE for services to sport.
Brief spells followed with Rotherham, as player manager, Hull, Mansfield and Swansea, before he retired from football in 1984. He continued to appear on A Question of Sport, where he gained a new legion of fans.
Possibly the most famous show came when Princess Anne was a member of his team and, true to style, he ignored royal protocol by hugging the princess when she answered a question right.
His reputation was sealed a few weeks later when he identified a picture of the princess as the jockey John Reid. "Before that, I was a footballer maybe 15 per cent of people knew. Afterwards, 99.9 per cent knew me. It was a genuine mistake," he said later.
