Manchester United owner Malcolm Glazer died on Wednesday aged 85.
The American Jewish billionaire, born in Rochester, New York, suffered ill health following two strokes in 2006.
He was said to have been experiencing impaired speech and limited mobility.
The Florida-based father-of-six bought the English Premier League club in 2005 for £790 millon via a highly-leveraged deal which plunged the business into massive debt.
That brought mass-opposition from fans and long-running protests calling for his family to sell the club.
Mr Glazer's sons - Joel and Avram as joint chairs and Bryan as a non-executive director - went on to head up United’s business affairs. Mr Glazer is survived by his wife, Linda.
A highly-successful owner of American football team Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mr Glazer made his fortune from owning property, including shopping centres and care homes.