Tributes have been paid to former Liverpool captain Tommy Smith, who died this afternoon aged 74.

Known as the "Anfield Iron", Smith had an 18-year career at LFC, during which he won four league titles.

But he was better known on Hilltop Walk, Ormskirk - where he lived at 11A after removing its original house number 13 - as a family man with wife Susanne (Sue) and children Darren and Janette.

Smith scored in the 1977 European Cup final as Liverpool beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 to win the trophy for the first time.

He made 638 appearances for the Reds between 1960 and 1978, and struggled with dementia and other ailments during his later years, ending his days in a Waterloo care home.

His daughter, Janette Simpson, told the club website on Friday: "Dad died very peacefully in his sleep shortly after 4.30pm today at his nursing home.

"He had been growing increasingly frail and suffering from a variety of ailments over the last three months especially.

"We are obviously all devastated."

Commented Southport's Mark Lawrenson: "He was a Liverpool great, a really good player and a beautiful striker of the ball. He played in the midfield and in the defence, and took no prisoners.

"Tommy was a leader of men. Just to be able to play three positions in an outstanding team was great.

"All he ever wanted to do was play for Liverpool and the reason he played so many games was because he played injured.

"He really was a Liverpool legend in every single way."

I spotted Tommy Smith once, while browsing through the Airfix models in Woolworth's. I asked for an autograph. He told me to f*** **f.