George Best, regarded as one of soccer's all-time greatest players, died Friday at the age of 59.

The former Manchester United and Northern Ireland star had been in critical condition in the intensive care unit of a London hospital for a week.

"After a long and very vigilant fight, Mr. George Best died this afternoon in the intensive care unit at Cromwell Hospital," the hospital said in a statement.

Best's son, Calum, thanked his father's medical team.

"Not only have I lost my dad, but we've all a wonderful man," Calum Best said. "I'd just like to take the time to thank Professor (Roger) Williams and Dr. Akeel (Alisa) and everybody here at the Cromwell Hospital for doing everything they could do and to all the well-wishers and the fans ... the letters and the flowers and the e-mails, it all means so much to us."

Manchester United teammate Denis Law, who was at Best's bedside all night, said it was a blessing that Best's suffering came to an end.

"It's an extremely sad day for the Best family," Law said. "It was just a matter of time really. It was not if, it was when that things wouldn't go right.

"In the long run, after knowing him for a long time, it's the best thing that could have happened because he would have been slightly like a vegetable and he wouldn't have liked that. It's awful to say it sometimes but it was a blessing."

Best, who needed a liver transplant three years ago after decades of alcohol abuse, saw his condition worsen Thursday, with internal bleeding affecting his lungs and other organs. Best was also unconscious and unable to breathe without a ventilator.

Best had been hospitalized since Oct. 1. His condition deteriorated last week when he was diagnosed with a lung infection and was put on life support.

Best is widely considered the greatest British-born player in the history of the game.

Renowned for his slalom-like dribbling skills, devastatingly accurate passing ability and memorable goals, Best rose to fame as a member of Manchester United.

He scored 178 goals in 466 games from 1963-74 for United, helping the club win two English league titles and the 1968 European Cup, the forerunner to today's Champions League.

He won the Ballon d'Or, Golden Ball award, as the European player of the year and was voted English player of the year in 1968.

The British Premier League announced there will be a minute's silence before this weekend's games as a mark of respect for Best.

"The Premier League hopes that everyone involved with football will pay their respects to a man who became a sporting legend," the league said in a statement. "He will be remembered for his sublime footballing skills and the special contribution he made to the game."

Manchester United players will wear black armbands.

Best was also named one of the 125 best living soccer players in Pelé's 2004 FIFA 100 list, the 100 figure referring to the 100th anniversary of soccer's world governing body.

He played 37 times for his country but because Northern Ireland was far from being a powerhouse, he never had the opportunity to play on soccer's greatest stage: the World Cup.

His prodigious talent and showmanship made him a cultural icon in Great Britain. Dubbed "the fifth Beatle" for his long hair and good looks, Best led the life of an extravagant Hollywood celebrity who was known for gambling, womanizing and heavy drinking.

Best often recalled the story of how a bellboy entered his hotel room early one morning only to find the Manchester United star lying in bed drunk with the current Miss World at his side, a dozen bottles of champagne on the floor and several thousand pounds of cash won from a night's gambling on the nightstand.

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds (women) and fast cars – the rest I just squandered," Best often quipped.

His lifestyle caught up to him in 1974 when, at age 27, he was released by Manchester United. The club had grown tired of his drinking and what they perceived as his lack of commitment on the field and in training sessions.

Best shocked the world when he quit soccer at the height of his prime, but then he came out of retirement and bounced between several clubs in England for a decade, and played for three clubs in the defunct North American Soccer League, scoring 54 goals in 139 games there.

Playing back in England, Best finally retired in 1983 at the age of 37, but even though he left the game, trouble was never far behind.

In 1984, he received a three-month prison sentence for drunk driving and assaulting a police officer. In 1991, he appeared on the BBC prime time chat show Wogan in which he swore and was clearly drunk. He later apologized for his behaviour.

Best received a liver transplant in 2002, but was criticized in the English media when he openly drank white wine, despite his transplant. Just last year, he was convicted of another drunk driving offence and banned from driving for 20 months.