Born in Coatbridge, Scotland, on 11th June 1941, 'Big John' joined United from Hibernian in December 1966 and went on to make 132 appearances under manager Joe Harvey, scoring eight goals in a five-year career on Tyneside.

A key member of the 1969 Inter Cities Fairs Cup winning squad, John will always be remembered for swinging on the crossbar at Roker Park after netting a late equaliser against Sunderland in a 3-3 draw in December 1967.

The thoughts of everyone at Newcastle United are with John's family at this time.