Former publicist to some of the biggest names in showbiz, Max Clifford, has died in prison at the age of 74.
It was reported that the former PR expert had collapsed in his cell in Littlehey Prison in Cambridgeshire.
And in a statement from his family, it transpired that Max had suffered a cardiac arrest while cleaning his cell.
Max, who was once the go-to name for celebrities looking to increase their profile, was serving an eight-year sentence for indecent assaults carried out between 1977 and 1985.
It has also been reported that he was planning on appealing his convictions next year, having been cleared of one further count of indecent assault at Southwark Crown Court last July.
In 2014, an appeal against his sentence was unsuccessful. Three appeal court judges declared the eight-year term “justified and correct”.
After Max was rushed to a critical care unit on Friday, a Ministry of Justice statement said: “HMP Littlehey prisoner Maxwell Clifford died in hospital on 10 December 2017.
“As with all deaths in custody, there will be an investigation by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
“Our condolences are with Mr Clifford’s family at this difficult time.”
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In a career spanning more than 40 years, Max Clifford had worked with almost everyone in the entertainment industry.
He helped the careers of everyone from Theo Paphitis and Jade Goody to Muhammad Ali and The Beatles.
And at the peak of his powers, he counted Chelsea Football Club and Frank Sinatra among his clients.
But it all came crashing down in 2014 as he was the first high-profile defendant convicted as a result of the well-known “Operation Yewtree.”
And when he was handed his eight-year sentence, the Judge reportedly said Max’s “contemptuous attitude” led to him being jailed for far longer than was expected.
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Operation Yewtree has so far been behind almost 20 arrests, mostly for the abuse of children, and was widely publicised for revealing Jimmy Savile as an offender.