John McCririck has died aged 79.
The former Channel 4 racing pundit has passed away just nine months after revealing he was dying, after he had a chest infection and "a cold all the time".
Roger Easterby, who was a close friend to John for more than 40 years, has led tributes.
He told the Racing Post newspaper: "John was often referred to as being like Marmite, but I believe people genuinely liked him.
"He was kind, generous and knew his subject inside out."
In October, John claimed losing his TV career when he was axed by Channel 4 in 2012, after 28 years, had adversely affected his health, and he predicted he only had months to live.
He said: "What purpose is there in going on if you\'re not working?
"Racing was my life but now when I go I think: \'What am I doing here?\' I feel like a dinosaur. You\'re a lost soul wandering around an environment you\'re no longer part of.
"Life is empty. I don\'t expect to be alive this time next year. It\'s a question of slipping away.
"I\'ve prepared the Booby [his wife, Jenny] for it. When I\'m gone she knows exactly what to do and she\'ll be fine.
"I\'m pining. The broken heart is for a lost job. Work comes first. Put that in capital letters. I always worked. It\'s the most important thing in life.
"I\'ve had a chest infection and I seem to have a cold all the time but they [the doctors] can\'t find anything. I wish they could. I\'ve been examined, had blood tests -- all that kind of thing. I\'m sure it all started when I was sacked because you get more and more...
"I hope I\'m not self-pitying because I don\'t self-pity, but when you wake up in the morning you just feel miserable. There\'s no routine. I have \'Jeremy Kyle\', \'This Morning\' and that\'s about it."
John - who had lost three stone due to a severe bout of flu last year - is survived by his wife Jenny, who he called The Booby.
19 June 2020 - 12:00 PM
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