Former England manager Graham Taylor has died at the age of 72.
His family confirmed on Thursday that Taylor passed away after a heart attack, issuing the following statement: “With the greatest sadness, we have to announce that Graham passed away at his home early this morning of a suspected heart attack. The family are devastated by this sudden and totally unexpected loss.”
Taylor made his name managing Watford over a 10-year period, taking the club from Division Four to Division One between 1977 and 1987s, finishing runners-up in the 1984 FA Cup.
He then moved to Aston Villa, where he remains a beloved figure; he guided them from the doldrums of Division Two to second in Division One in the late 1980s.
He subsequently moved on to manage England and took the team to Euro 1992, though a failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup ultimately cost him his job.
He rebuilt his career, however, and managed Wolves before returning first to Watford and then to Villa.