Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers legend Francis 'Franny' Lee has died at the age of 79 after a 'long battle with lung cancer'.
Ex-striker Lee - who also scored 10 goals in 27 appearances for England - made his professional debut for Bolton in 1959. He later became City's club-record signing when he moved to Manchester for £60,000 in 1967, helping lead the club to its first era of consistent top-flight success.
It was during the first of Lee's seven seasons at City that the club ended their 31-year wait for a First Division title (what is now the Premier League). He later went on to lift the FA Cup, League Cup and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in sky blue, along with two FA Charity Shields.
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City - where Lee scored a total of 148 goals in 330 appearances - called their late icon "a club legend in every sense." He left the club in 1974 for a two-year stint at Derby County, where he won a second top-flight crown before retiring the following year.
"Franny passed away in the early hours of this morning after a long battle with cancer," read a club statement. "His wife Gill and children Charlotte, Jonny and Nik say he will be sorely missed and would like to thank everyone for their kind words. Everyone at Manchester City would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Francis at this very difficult time."
Bolton also sent their well wishes to the family of their late club legend, while the English Football League X (formerly Twitter) account referred to the former frontman as an "all-time great." Fans and journalists alike also sent in tributes to Lee, posting videos of his best on-field moments in football.
Despite his major success as a player, Lee went on to become a business magnate thanks to his toilet roll empire following his retirement from football in 1976. His company, F.H. Lee Ltd, is believed to have made him a millionaire and once counted comedian Peter Kay among its employees.
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Sky Get it here“We were lucky to have Peter working for us, he kept everybody happy," Lee told The Bolton News in 2015 when asked about his brushes with the future comedy great. "Although we eventually dissuaded him from coming in because he could disrupt the production on the nightshift with all his joking around.”
He put his riches to good use and became City chairman in 1994, when he was given a hero's welcome after purchasing Peter Swales' shares for £3million. A close call with relegation to England's third division saw him step down just four years later, however, and he went on to sell all his shares to successor Thaksin Shinawatra.
Lee - who scored more than 200 goals during his career - was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was also appointed a CBE during the 2016 New Year's Honours 'for services to football and charity'.
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