MANCHESTER United legend Denis Law has tragically passed away at the age of 84, his family have announced.
The last surviving member of the Red Devils' holy trinity died after a battle with dementia.
His heartbroken family confirmed on Friday that Law had passed away.
A statement from them read: “It is with heavy hearts that we have to tell you that our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He has fought a hard battle, but at last he is now at peace.
“We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to his welfare and care, in the past and much more recently.
“We know how many people supported him and loved him and that love was always appreciated and made a difference. Thank you.”
Law started his career at Huddersfield Town, had two spells at Manchester City and played for Torino in Italy.
But it was at Old Trafford from 1962 to 1973 where he made his name, scoring 237 goals in 404 games.
He won two titles with United and the FA Cup and helped them to the 1968 European Cup final, where they defeated Benfica, although they missed the match due to injury.
Sir Bobby Charlton, Law and George Best played key roles as the Red Devils became the first English team to win the European Cup.
Man U said in a statement: “Everyone at Manchester United is mourning the loss of Denis Law, king of the Stretford End, who has passed away at the age of 84.
“With 237 goals in 404 appearances, he will always be celebrated as one of the club's greatest and most loved players.
“The ultimate goalscorer, his flair, spirit and love of the game made him the hero of a generation.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Denis' family and many friends. His memory will live on forever.”
Best, Law and Charlton combined to score 665 goals in 1,636 appearances for the club.
And both won the Ballon d'Or between 1964 and 1968, with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008 the only United player to do so since.
Law also scored 30 goals in 55 appearances for Scotland.
In 2021, the goalscorer revealed in an emotional statement that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
He said he experienced anger, frustration, confusion and anxiety because of the condition.
There has been a lot of research and debate among a number of former players about the extent to which heading the ball has led to Alzheimer's disease.
Law said: “I'm at the point where I feel like I want to be open about my condition.
“I have been diagnosed with 'mixed dementia', which is more than one form of dementia, in my case these are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
“It is an incredibly challenging and problematic disease and I have seen many friends go through this.
'You hope it won't happen to you, you even joke about it while ignoring the first signs because you don't want it to be true.
“You get angry, frustrated, confused and then worried, worried about your family as they will be the ones dealing with it.
“However, the time has come to tackle this head-on, pardon the pun.
“I recognize how my brain deteriorates and how my memory evades me when I don't want it to, and how this causes me stress in situations I have no control over.
“I understand what's happening and that's why I want to address my situation now while I still can. Because I know there will be days when I don't understand, and I hate the thought of that right now.”
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