Lord Herman Ouseley, the founder of what is now called Kick It Out, has died aged 79.
The anti-discrimination charity announced Lord Ouseley's death on Thursday.
Ouseley founded Kick It Out - then called Let's Kick Racism Out of Football - in 1993 and chaired the charity for 25 years.
He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until his retirement in 2019, and also served as the chief executive for the Race Equality Commission.
"We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Lord Herman Ouseley after a short illness," Kick It Out's statement read.
"Lord Ouseley was a titan in tackling discrimination in football over the 25 years he was chair of Kick It Out, having founded Let's Kick Racism Out of Football in 1993.
"He was also a fearless advocate for under-represented and disadvantaged communities and will be sorely missed.
"Lord Ouseley's vision to set up Kick It Out was the first true structural change in football to take on a problem that had blighted the game for decades.
"Fans and participants are now more aware of discrimination and how to challenge it, which is a legacy of the tenacity and vigour he showed in ensuring football continued to change.
"We owe him a huge debt of gratitude and vow to continue that legacy for the benefit of future generations. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time."
The FA paid tribute to Lord Ouseley with a statement that read: “We are extremely saddened to hear about the passing of Lord Herman Ouseley.
"He was a trailblazer in English football, having the original vision for Kick It Out. He played a hugely inspirational role in tackling discrimination across our game.”
