Gerd Muller, a Bayern Munich and Germany icon, died at the age of 75.
Muller was one of the finest attackers in history, scoring 68 goals in 62 games for West Germany, including the game-winning goal against the Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final.
During his 15 years with Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich, he also scored 547 goals in 594 competitive games.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer stated, "Today is a terrible, dark day for FC Bayern and all of its followers."
"Gerd Muller was the greatest goalscorer in history - also a wonderful person and a global football figure." We share his wife Uschi's grief and that of his family.
"FC Bayern would not be the club we all love today without Gerd Muller. His name and memory will live on in perpetuity."
'One of history's greatest legends'
Muller, a two-time German Footballer of the Year, earned the Golden Boot and the Ballon d'Or in 1970 after scoring 10 goals at the World Cup.
Two years later, he helped West Germany win the European Championship, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory over the Soviet Union in the final.
"We are all extremely saddened by the news of Gerd Muller's passing," Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn stated.
"He is one of FC Bayern's greatest legends; his exploits are unrivalled to this day, and he will forever be a part of FC Bayern's and German football's glorious history."
"Gerd Muller, both as a player and as a person, epitomises FC Bayern's growth into one of the world's most prestigious teams. Gerd will live on in our hearts forever."
For decades, he has held the record.
Muller was the Bundesliga's top scorer seven times during his 15 years at Bayern. He also held the record for scoring the most goals in a calendar year, with 85 in 1972, until Lionel Messi broke it in 2012.
His record of 40 goals in a Bundesliga season, set in 1971-72, lasted for 49 years until it was broken in May by Robert Lewandowski.
Muller was instrumental in Bayern's victories in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup, as well as three European Cups, a European Cup Winners' Cup, and an Intercontinental Cup.
The club revealed in 2015 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
'The Muhammad Ali of the penalty box,' as he's been dubbed.
Muller, who was born on November 3, 1945, joined Bayern Munich in 1964. His first coach at the club, Zlatko Cajkovski, dubbed him "small, fat Muller" because of his low stature and stocky physique.
Muller, on the other hand, soon established himself as a clinical striker, and his goals helped Bayern win the league four times between 1969 and 1974.
Muller's ability in the penalty box soon established him as one of the most feared attackers at club and international level, with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, another Bayern legend, praising him in 2015 as "the finest of all time, the Muhammad Ali of the penalty box."
Muller resigned from international football at the age of 28 after helping West Germany win the World Cup in 1974, but he continued to have success with Bayern Munich before joining the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1979.
In 1982, he announced his retirement after three seasons in the United States.
Muller is a goal machine for both club and country, as seen by his impressive statistics.
With 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches, he is the record scorer in Bundesliga history.
He scored 40 goals in 1971-72 - a Bundesliga record which was broken last season by Robert Lewandowski (41).
In the 1969-70 season, he scored in 16 successive Bundesliga matches, a mark still unbroken.
He was the top scorer in seven Bundesliga seasons - also a record.
The "Bomber der Nation" ("the nation's Bomber") is also the best scorer in German Cup history - he scored more often (78 goals) than he played games (62).
Only Miroslav Klose has scored more goals for the German national team (71) than Muller (68). However, Klose also played more than twice as many international matches (137) as Muller (62).