Former England manager Graham Taylor left £542,449 to his family in his will
Former England, Watford and Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor, who died last January aged 72, left more than half a million pounds to his family in his will.
The ex-England boss gave his family £542,449 in the will was drawn up seven months before he died of a suspected heart attack in his sleep.
He also left £5,000 each to three grandchildren.
Probate records reveal that the father-of-two from Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, left the bulk of his estate in trust for his wife Rita.
The former Watford and Aston Villa manager became England boss in 1990, but resigned in 1993 after the team failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
Taylor started his football career as a defender at Grimsby Town and Lincoln City after coming through the youth ranks with Scunthorpe United.
He retired from playing because of injury and became manager of Lincoln in 1972 aged 28.
He then led them to the old Fourth Division title in 1976 before joining Watford from 1977 to 1987.
Taylor (pictured) died of a heart attack in his sleep last January, he also managed Aston Villa and Watford during his career
Taylor took the Hornets from the Fourth Division to runners-up in the old First Division in 1983 and the FA Cup final in 1984.
He was appointed by Villa in 1987 and, after leading them to promotion into the top tier, took them to second in 1990.
Taylor’s success led to him being appointed England manager, but he had a turbulent spell in charge.
Taylor’s club success led to him being appointed England manager, but he had a turbulent spell in charge of the national team
Under him, the national team failed to make it out of the group at Euro 92 and did not qualify for the World Cup in the United States two years later.
Taylor returned to club management with a brief stint at Wolves before joining Watford and guiding them back into English football’s top flight.
He then managed Villa again in 2002 but retired a year later, becoming a renowned pundit for BBC Sport.
His association with Watford continued when he became the club’s chairman from 2009 to 2012 and had a stand at Vicarage Road named after him in 2014.
After his death, a number of famous figures paid tribute to the former England manager.
Sir Elton John, Watford’s chairman while Taylor was manager, described him as ‘like a brother’.
Sir Elton John was Watford chairman during Taylor’s time there and described the football boss as ‘like a brother’
He wrote on Instagram: ‘I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham’s passing. He was like a brother to me. We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.’
Former England star Alan Shearer played under Taylor. He tweeted: ‘Completely shocked by news of Graham Taylor. Always held him in the very highest regard – the man who gave me my first England cap. So sad.’
Taylor was criticised recently for his part in allegedly covering up sexual abuse in football.
Former England star Alan Shearer played under Taylor and said he had always held him ‘in high regard’
Leicester City player Tony Brien, aged 18 at the time, phoned Mr Taylor while he was Aston Villa manager in the 1987-88 season.
Brien phoned to warn Taylor to that youth players at the club were at risk of being abused by paedophile scout Ted Langford.
But Taylor simply told him to ‘move on’ and not speak about his ordeal because he would be abused by fans, he claimed.