Legendary Barcelona stadium announcer Manel Vich dies at 78

Legendary stadium announcer Manel Vich passed away on Friday night, as FC Barcelona confirmed on their official Twitter account.

He was in charge of speaking over the PA for the last 60 years at the club. 

"FC Barcelona is sorry to announce the death of the dearly loved Manel Vich, the Cmap Nou stadium announcer for 60 years. Rest in peace." 

Vich had missed the last league game against Sporting Gijon with an illness, per the club - in the last 60 years he had only missed four games for health or family reasons. Vich turned 78 on March 12.

His wake will be held at the Les Corts funeral home from 1pm CET.

The club announced: "three days of mourning in honour of the death of Manel Vich. This weekend, all of the club’s teams shall observe a minute of silence and wear black armbands in his memory."

Barcelona explained how he got started and more about his life on their official site. Click here for Vich's full story.

President Josep Bartomeu tweeted: "Manel, your voice shall forever be with us. Rest in peace."