Stirling Moss has died at the age of 90, his wife has confirmed.

The motorsport great, who had been battling a long-term illness, passed away at his Mayfair home early on Sunday.

Lady Moss told the Daily Mail: "He died as he lived, looking wonderful.

"He simply tired in the end and he just closed his beautiful eyes and that was that."

Moss is widely considered to be the finest driver never to win the Formula One world championship, finishing runner-up four times and third three times from 1955 to 1961.

He is renowned for his successes across a multitude of races in a wide variety of cars and for the style in which he competed.

Moss won 212 of the 529 races he entered, but his most famous was in the 1955 Mille Miglia road race in Italy.

Then 25, Moss triumphed in the 1,000-mile race in 10 hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds, with an average speed of 98.53 miles per hour – course records that stood until the event was discontinued in 1957.