Former Aston Villa Chairman Sir Doug Ellis Passes Away Aged 94

​Sir Doug Ellis, who was the chairman of Aston Villa between 1968 and 1975 and again between 1982 and 2006, has died at the age of 94.

A close relative told the ​Birmingham Mail of Ellis' passing on Thursday morning. He is said to have died peacefully overnight at his home in Cheshire.

Ellis always said that his biggest regret was not attending the 1982 European Cup final, which ​Aston Villa won against Bayern Munich for their only major European trophy. 

Ellis returned to his position as chairman that summer and Villa spent only one year outside the top-flight during the rest of his tenure. They finished second in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93 and won the League Cup twice in the 1990s.

Ill health forced Ellis to step down in 2006, whereupon he was named Emeritus President. He was knighted in 2012 for charitable services. He is survived by his wife Heidi and three sons.

After years of mismanagement under Randy Lerner and Dr Tony Xia, it would have pleased Ellis to see Villa back in good hands before his passing, now under the ownership of Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

A minute's silence will be observed before Aston Villa's next Championship match against Swansea City, and the players will wear black armbands as a sign of respect.