London – Jack Hayward, the former owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers who was known as ‘Union Jack’ for his philanthropy towards Britain, has died aged 91, the club said on Tuesday.

Hayward owned the Wolves for 17 years until 2007 when he sold the now second-tier club to Steve Morgan. He died in Fort Lauderdale Florida on Tuesday, having been ill for several months.

He oversaw the transformation of the club’s old Molineux ground into a modern all-seater stadium and helped lead the club into the Premier League in 2003.

He was renowned for a string of philanthropic acts including buying Lundy, an island off the southwest coast of England, for the National Trust and making a large donation to help rebuild a hospital after the Falklands War.