Strachan is devastated by the death of Celtic hero Burns

"Coming to Celtic has been a fantastic journey but the best part, no doubt, is that in the last few years I could call Tommy Burns a friend," said Strachan on Thursday. "The best thing I did when I came here was make Tommy my assistant manager. His intelligence, commonsense and humour made me understand what Glasgow was all about. He kept me sane at times.

"Even on Wednesday when I was with him, his faith was incredible. All he was concerned about was that his wife, Rosemary, the kids and I were all right. He wasn't thinking about himself, which is absolutely incredible. It was typical of Tommy that we still managed to have a laugh 14 or 15 hours before his death."

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Tearful: Gordon Strachan struggles to come to terms with the death of Tommy Burns

Strachan, a former Aberdeen midfielder, was a bitter rival of Burns in their playing days. "We were saying that if the Celtic and Aberdeen fans 30 years ago could have seen us having a hug they never would have believed it," added Strachan.

"We changed from kicking lumps out of each other and calling each other every name in the world to me now missing him as badly as I've ever missed anybody." Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to pay tribute to the Celtic legend, saying: "It's very sad. He was a really good man."

From outside football, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond also paid their respects to the man who served the Glasgow club as a player for 15 years before returning as manager and coach.

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Faces of grief: Celtic fans gather at Parkhead to pay their respects to Tommy Burns

United in grief: Rangers and Celtic shirts adorn the Parkhead terracing

Among the fans today was comedian - and Celtic fan - Billy Connolly

He joined Celtic as a teenager in 1973 and went on to play 352 league games for the club, scoring 52 goals and winning eight Scotland caps.

He later joined Kilmarnock where he became manager and was appointed Celtic boss in 1994 before leaving in 1997. His management career also took in Reading and a spell as assistant at Newcastle. He had also been part of the Scotland set-up.

Pause for thought: A Rangers fan puts aside his differences to pay his tribute to Tommy Burns

Burns was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2006. Although he received treatment, the disease returned in March.

Beaten UEFA Cup Finalists and arch rivals Rangers have abandoned plans for an open-top bus ride through the city as a mark of respect.

Ode to Tommy: One fan gives his tribute

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell added: "Tommy Burns will live forever in the club. He's part of the history.

"We've had many legends at this football club but truly he'll take his position in there.

"His energy, his drive, and his passion for this club was remarkable."

Remebered: One Celtic fan simply said it with flowers