Former footballer and Match of the Day presenter Jimmy Hill has died aged 87.
His death was announced by his agent Jane Morgan today.
He died after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“It is with great sadness that Bryony Hill and the children of Jimmy Hill have announced that Jimmy passed away peacefully today aged 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.”
It was also announced that Jimmy will be cremated in a private ceremony but that a service for friends and colleagues will be held in the New Year.
Jimmy, who played for Fulham in the 1950s, and then managed Coventry City in the Sixties, became a hugely popular football presenter after he retired from the game.
Jimmy was Head of Sport at ITV between 1968 and 1972. He moved to the BBC in 1973 and was host of Match of the Day until 1989.
“For generations, Jimmy was an authoritative voice both as a presenter and an analyst. He was committed to innovation in every aspect of the game and his influence lives on in the programmes we enjoy today,” said BBC Director General Tony Hall.
“Jimmy Hill was an iconic and unique figure and we are all deeply saddened by the news,” added Barbara Slater, BBC Director of Sport.
Current Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker tweeted: “Deeply saddened to hear that Jimmy Hill has left us. A football man through and through who gave the game so much in so many ways RIP Jimmy”
Jimmy had many memorable moments in his career… Here's one of them, when he left the press box to join the action on the pitch as a linesman in an Arsenal v Leicester City game in 1972.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntfslrhajAg
