Graham Taylor dead: Alan Shearer pays tribute to the man who gave him his first England cap as the football world mourns
Taylor had an ill-fated spell as Three Lions boss - but led Watford to the FA Cup final in 1984 and finished second with Aston Villa in 1990
ALAN SHEARER has paid tribute to the man who gave him his first England cap as the football world mourns.
Taylor, who managed the Three Lions from 1990 to 1993, was 72 - he died at home of a suspected heart attack.
And England legend Shearer said: "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."
A family statement said: "With the greatest sadness, we have to announce that Graham passed away at his home early this morning of a suspected heart attack.
"The family are devastated by this sudden and totally unexpected loss."
Other tributes have also poured in for Taylor from across football - with the likes of Elton John and former England international Stan Collymore leading the messages.
Former Watford owner lead tributes to Taylor with a heartbreaking message on social media.
He wrote: "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.
"He took my beloved Watford from the depths of the lower leagues to unchartered territory and into Europe.
"We have become a leading English club because of his managerial wisdom and genius.
"This is a sad and dark day for Watford. The club and the town. We will cherish Graham and drown our sorrows in the many brilliant memories he gave us.
"I love you Graham. I will miss you very much.
"My thoughts go out to Rita, Joanne, Karen and the whole Taylor family."
Former England captain Alan Shearer added: "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."
On their website, Watford simply wrote: "We love you".
BBC commentator Guy Mowbray worked with Taylor in his post-managerial broadcast career.
"Deeply saddened to hear of Graham Taylor's death," he said.
"A genuinely lovely man. Knowledgable, generous, patient & humorous as a co-commentator."
Taylor, who played for Grimsby Town and Lincoln City, first went into management with Lincoln in 1972.
But it was Watford - with Elton John as chairman - that Taylor made his mark.
He lead the Hornets to three promotions in four years at Vicarage Road, even finishing second in the top flight in 1983.
Taylor then took Watford to an unlikely FA Cup final in 1984, losing 2-0 to Everton.
After 10 years at the club he moved to Aston Villa where he again impressed, with a promotion and then another second-placed finish in the top flight.
England came calling in 1990 but a difficult spell saw him sacked after the Three Lions were poor at Euro 1992 and then failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
A brief tenure at Wolves then saw his second spell at Watford.
And Taylor was as impressive as ever, winning successive promotions to lead the Hornets from the third tier to the promised land of the Premier League.
After relegation Taylor retired but returned to Aston Villa shortly after.
He endured a difficult relationship with Doug Ellis and retired for good.
A post-managerial career saw him do broadcast work with BBC and BT Sport and he served as Watford chairman from 2009 to 2012.