Chelsea tribute recalls actor's history with the club

Chelsea Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our Life President Lord Attenborough, CBE at the age of 90.

He led a long and successful life and always found time for the things in life he loved most, one of which was Chelsea FC.

Renowned throughout the world for his work in cinema which honoured him with awards for acting, directing and producing, football - and Chelsea in particular - was never far from his thoughts.

His personality was woven into the tapestry of the club over seven decades. He was a consistent force for good at the club, even in dark times.

He was a club director during the glamorous, trophy-winning seasons of the early 1970s and a decade later helped keep the club at Stamford Bridge when our stadium came under serious threat from property development.

In the late 1940s he had been selected for the role of young gangster Pinkie in the film Brighton Rock. Asked to improve his physical condition, he was given the choice of training with either the Chelsea players or with Fulham for a fortnight. To our everlasting good fortune he chose the Pensioners and soon became friends with Tommy Lawton, the most revered centre-forward in English football at the time, and others, and was given tickets to matches by them.