Tributes are pouring in across the footballing world following the passing of Sir Doug Ellis at the age of 94 overnight...
The former Aston Villa chairman, who spent more than thirty years at the West Midlands Club in two separate spells, was a widely respected figure both at Villa and within English football.
Ellis' most recent spell at the Club lasted a total of 24 years, before he was succeeded as chairman by Randy Lerner in 2006. Upon the sale of the Club, Sir Doug was honoured with becoming a President Emeritus, or Life President.
During his tenure, Aston Villa enjoyed arguably their greatest period of success, winning the Football League First Division title in 1981, before being crowned champions of Europe a year later after a 1-0 victory against Bayern Munich in the European Cup Final.
A charismatic individual, Ellis was knighted in the 2012 New Year Honours List for his charitable servics, including the Sir Doug Ellis Learning Hub at the University of Birmingham Medical School, and the Sir Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre at Ashton University.
Never one to shy away from his love of the game, Ellis attended Villa's Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final defeat against Fulham in May at Wembley Stadium.
The thoughts of everyone at the EFL are with Sir Doug's family and friends.