LENNY MCLEAN was known by many names such as "The Guvnor," "The King of the Cobbles" and "The hardest man in Britain."
Let's find out why as we get to know who was Lenny McLean and what life did he lead.
Who was Lenny McLean?
Lenny McLean was an unlicensed boxer, a bouncer and bodyguard, a businessman and also got himself involved in the movie industry.
He was born on April 9, 1949, in Hoxton, London.
McLean's life was led by violence, having grown up in a very poor side of East London but with a great sense of community.
His father died when McLean was just four years old, and stepfather Jim Irwin was abusive to him and his four siblings when he came in the picture.
Sometimes Irwin would abuse the children mentally and other times he would hit them with a belt, but no matter what the action was, there were always fists involved.
McLean said: "He broke my legs when I was five and broke my jaw when I was six.
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"When I was seven, he broke all my ribs.
"He bashed me right about until I was 12."
Irwin finally got out of the picture when McLean's uncle, Jimmy Spinks, beat him up for the abuse his family has been suffering at Irwin's hands.
During his teenage years, McLean got himself involved in a lot of crime and this turned him into a six-foot-two man weighing at 280 pounds.
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His mom died when he was 21 and this led him to a drinking problem which saw him visit pubs frequently and cause havoc there as his violence persisted.
Following a fighting incident with a certain Jimmy Briggs, which almost sent him to prison, McLean didn't drink anymore and started running security in East London pubs.
Aged 26, McLean entered the world of knuckle fighting, and at that time, in the 1970s, unlicensed boxing was very popular.
McLean had 2,000 fights and developed an opponent which saw him lose first fight, Roy Shaw.
He spent his life in prison and had a reputation for being a psychopath.
McLean couldn't just accept defeat like that, and so he demanded a rematch in late 1978, in which he beat him.
Why was Lenny McLean called the Guvnor?
Roy Shaw was known to be The Guvnor at that time.
McLean was preparing for his third match against such an opponent under the eye of Freddy Hill who taught him how to properly box, rather than just release the rage on the ring with hopes to win.
There 30,000 people in the crowd, ready to watch a fight which was nothing but personal.
McLean was unstoppable during a fight in which he unleashed a beast that went through so much throughout his years growing up and dismantled Shaw.
McLean was heard shouting, "I'm the Guvnor!" and that is how he got his nickname.
How did Lenny McLean die?
Lung cancer took over McLean's life.
On July 28, 1998, aged 49, cancer took the life of McLean.
Did Lenny McLean have any children?
Lenny McLean got married to Val when he was 19 years old and had two children, Kelly and Jamie.
Jamie appeared in the documentary about his father, The Guv'nor.
He recalls a story of when after the pub, he fought a man called Jimmy Briggs over an argument with a girl.
He broke both of his hands on Briggs' face and then bit through his windpipe which almost killed him while out on the street.
McLean avoided prison when Briggs was saved thanks to surgery.
Meanwhile, his daughter Kelly – who is now a teaching assistant – told The Mirror about the struggling childhood that she had and how she thought about taking her own life when her father died.
Doctors told Kelly that her father might have suffered with bipolar disorder and she believes that if he was diagnosed and given the right medication, he would have led on a completely different life.
Kelly – who is now a mother of two – was also diagnosed with same condition.
She said: "If I could have my dad back for one day, I'd tell him I was sorry that I judged him like everyone else.
"There were times I hated him and I looked at him like he was bully.
"It got to the stage where I couldn't even laugh at his jokes.
"We did live in fear of him, but I didn't understand he had this condition.
"I wish he was here now so I could get him some help.
"I don't think he enjoyed life.
"He always looked like he had the world on his shoulders.
"When Dad died I realised how much I loved him and that's what cut me up.
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"We had so many issues. We just had these rowing matches and I hated him because of his attitude. I didn't think I loved him but I did.
"I'm absolutely shocked and ashamed because if I'd known then what I do now I probably wouldn't have looked at my dad the way I did. I probably could have helped him."
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