Former Liverpool captain Ron Yeats, who helped the club to two First Division titles, has died aged 86, the club said on Saturday.
Yeats, a Scottish defender, was the skipper when Liverpool won the Second Division in 1962. The club has never been relegated since, and Yeats and his teammates went onto win the English top-flight in 1964 and 1966 under iconic club manager Bill Shankly.
He was also the club’s first FA Cup-winning captain when they lifted the trophy in 1965.
Shankly once described Yeats as “colossus” and chose him to serve as club captain for eight seasons, totalling over 400 games in that time, a tally bettered only by Steven Gerrard.
Yeats left Liverpool in 1971, although he returned to the club as a chief scout in 1986, a role he held until 2006.
He he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in January.
Liverpool said in a statement: “The thoughts of everyone at LFC are with Ron’s wife, Ann, all of his family and his friends at this incredibly sad time.
“Flags across club sites will be lowered to half-mast today as a mark of respect.”
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.