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Black Country mourns Sir Jack Hayward - the man who saved Wolves

The Black Country was in mourning today after the death of Sir Jack Hayward aged 91.

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Tributes poured in from around the world for the man who saved Wolves, with chairman Steve Morgan summing things up by saying: "Thank you Sir Jack, you will never be forgotten."

Sir Jack died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,yesterday. It is believed he fell ill and became short of breath while on his annual round-the-world cruise and was taken ashore in Mexico 10 days ago.

Sir Jack Hayward

He had been receiving treatment for lung cancer for more than a year, sources close to the multi-millionaire also said last night.

Wolves announced his death just after 4pm, saying in a statement: "It is with great sadness and regret that the club announces the passing of Sir Jack Hayward OBE, our legendary former owner, Chairman, Life President and one of the country's great philanthropists. Sir Jack had been ill for several months and passed away today."

Wolves hero Steve Bull led the tributes to the great man, saying he 'put his heart and soul' into Wolves.

He added: "He could not have done any more for the club – he brought it back. I was there in the 1980s and without Sir Jack we might have ended up being a supermarket."

MrMorgan – who famously bought the club from Sir Jack for £10 in 2007 added: "Wolves are a family and we're united in mourning at the loss of one of the club's – and the city's – most cherished sons.

"On behalf of everyone connected to Wolverhampton Wanderers: thank you, Sir Jack. You'll never be forgotten.

"A few months ago Sir Jack visited the Wolves Museum and was shown his own tribute in the Hall of Fame. When asked to sign the visitors' book, his message was simple: 'Glad to have helped.'

"That was the measure of the most generous, humble and special gentleman you could ever meet. We may never see his like again."

Flags at the stadium and the city's Civic Centre were at half mast today and despite bitter cold and snow, fans began leaving flowers, shirts, scarves and hand-written tributes to the former owner at the Billy Wright statue in front of Molineux.

A minute's silence was held before last night's FA Cup game against Fulham, while both sets of players also wore black armbands.

Fans sang "there's only one Jack Hayward" after the impeccably-observed silence before kick off. Visibly upset chief executive Jez Moxey said a full tribute will follow at Saturday's fixture against Blackpool at Molineux.

Sir Jack was born a stone's throw from Molineux and ploughed a huge chunk of his estimated £160million fortune into his beloved Wolves. During his 17-year ownership from 1990 he transformed a derelict Molineux into one of the finest stadiums in the country at that time.

Wolves' former manager Dave Jones holds the trophy with then chairman Sir Jack Hayward (right) after the Nationwide Division One play-off final against Sheffield United at the Millennium Stadium.

Known for being charismatic, incredibly generous, humble, effervescent and brutally honest, Sir Jack saw his dream of Wolves being promoted to the Premier League finally realised in 2003.

Despite living in the Bahamas he was known as 'Union Jack' and insisted on the club buying British – even to the point of changing the tyres on the team coach to Wolverhampton-made Goodyears.

Tearful Wolves vice-president Rachael Heyhoe Flint said last night: "It won't be the same at Molineux without him, but we must carry on – and do it for him."

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