Rangers legend Ally McCoist says he has lost his "second father" and has been left devastated by the death of his former manager Walter Smith.
The striker played under Smith at Ibrox and then worked alongside him as assistant manager before taking over the mantle from Smith in 2011.
East Kilbride famous son also worked with Smith in the Scotland setup when he took charge of the national side between 2004-07.
And in an emotional tribute on talkSPORT this morning, a heartbroken McCoist said: "He was everything to a lot of folk, myself included. He was my boss, my coach, my second father and then he turned into one of my best friends.
"The loss is absolutely incredible. However, the good thing is he's not in pain.
"We spoke to Walter on Saturday, we were going to see him on Sunday but he was too unwell.
"We knew that sadly there was an inevitability about this horrible illness and it'd only be a matter of time.
"However, it still does not take away the pain or the grief.
"At this moment in time, all I can think about is Ethyl, Neil and Steven and those grandkids.
"All Walter would've wanted was another few years to watch those grandkids play football and spent a lot of time with Jessica and them all.
"That's the most painful thing for me right now. I could sit here and tell you about Walter Smith until the cows come home; about how good a manager he was; how good a coach; how good a football man he was.
"But I can safely say he was probably the best husband, the best father, the best friend - everything you'd expect in a man.
"It's a tragic day, I'm absolutely devastated."
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