Ally McCoist has paid an emotional and touching tribute to Walter Smith on talkSPORT.
Rangers announced on Tuesday morning that one of their most iconic figures had passed away at 73 and few knew him better than McCoist.
The pair enjoyed huge success together at the Scottish club and were great friends off the pitch too.
They won 10 Scottish Premiership titles together at Rangers, as well as 10 other cup competitions, with McCoist serving as a player and assistant manager under Smith.
McCoist joined Jim White and Simon Jordan in the talkSPORT studios to react to the sad news and paid a brilliant tribute to the great man.
“He means everything to a lot of folk, myself included. He was my boss, my coach, my second father and then turned into one of my best friends,” McCoist told White and Jordan.
“The loss is absolutely incredible.
“However, the good thing is he’s not in pain. I went to see Walter recently, I spoke to him on Saturday and was going to see him again on Sunday but he was too unwell. I know Graeme [Souness] was up seeing Walter at the weekend, too.
“We knew that sadly there was an inevitability about this horrible illness, we did know that it would be a matter of time.
“However, it still does not take away the pain and the grief.
“At this moment in time, all I can think about is his wife Ethel, Neil and Steven and his grandkids. All Walter would have wanted is another few years to watch those grandkids play football and spend a lot of time with Jessica and them all, and sadly that’s the most painful thing right now.
“I could sit here and tell you about Walter Smith until the cows come home, about how good a manager, how good a coach, how good a football man he was.
“But what I will say is he was the best husband, the best father, the best friend – everything you’d expect in a man.
“It’s a tragedy today. I can’t tell you how devastated I am. Absolutely devastated.”
McCoist, who was also Smith’s assistant when he was Scotland boss, explained what made his mentor and friend so special as a man and manager.
He continued: “The one thing Walter was, was he was 100 per cent honest and fair. If he said something to you, he wasn’t saying it for effect, he was saying it for a reason. He was saying it because it had to be said.
“He was just the most genuine of men. He was hard, fair, honest and he had an absolutely wicked sense of humour. He was just brilliant to be around.
“He was loved by everyone, and across the divide, make no mistake about that.
“We love football rivalry, but my phone’s been incredible just now with Celtic friends and supporters.
“He was just a football man. Clearly a Rangers man, along with Mr [Bill] Struth the greatest manager in the club’s history.
“It will take a wee while to sink in.
“A sore loser, but appreciated losing was part of the game and handled it all with so much dignity and class.
“Some of the happiest times ever we had. He was an unbelievably intelligent man.
“The history books will tell us how good Walter was as a manager and as a coach and that is there, they are all the things we understand and what we appreciate and love him for.
“But what a friend, what a pal, what a boss, what a husband, what a grandfather, what a dad. That is the message that we should all be thinking about.
“These guys and Ethel have lost somebody so close to them, so special to them. I send them my love and I can feel their pain.”