Known as Mr Football he was at the helm of eight football World Cup broadcasts for SBS.
The man who arrived as a refugee from Hungary in the 1950s is being fondly remembered by friends, colleagues and fans.
Born in Hungary, Les Murray became one of Australia's most recognised and loved sporting identities.
He emigrated to Australia in 1956 as an 11-year-old, as his family escaped Hungary amidst communist Russia's occupation.
In 2011 he travelled back to Hungary with SBS in an attempt to track down the people smugglers who helped his family escape.
"In Australia these days there's a lot of talk about people smugglers and they're pretty well demonised. And it occurred to me the people smuggler I knew was a pretty good guy. So I am here to find him not to arrest him on admonish him but to thank him."
The family first landed in Darwin, before eventually being bussed to a migrant camp near Wagga Wagga.
Some 20 years later, he joined SBS as a subtitler, before moving into football as a commentator, followed by stints as a presenter and producer, before finally becoming Head of Sport.
Speaking just after he announced his retirement in 2014, Les Murray said his work was never just a job for him.
"The career has been a mission more than a job, so the highlights have to be manifestations of that mission being accomplished."
SBS Managing Director, Michael Ebeid, says no one better embodied what SBS represents than Les.
"He very much epitomised what SBS stands for as a young Hungarian refugee who came here when he was about 10 years old. And working his way up in SBS from being a subtitler and his live of football and his passion for football really got him into the sports department and the rest was history for us. But you know he really also mentored a lot of broadcasters and would often say to them is was all about the game not about them. He was so passionate about football."
Former Socceroo and SBS broadcaster, Craig Foster, has also paid tribute, tweeting: "The world lost a football colossus this morning, Les Murray AM."
Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten said "Les Murray brought the world game to Australian homes. He was the voice of famous victory and heartbreaking defeat, of joy and despair."
Murray attributed Australia's evolving multicultural society to the success of the "beautiful game".
"The way that it brought the tribes together, all across the Australian landscape ... so it was very important. It was a very good fit for SBS, and it was a very good fit for football to be associated with SBS. My job was to be the messenger. I was the mouthpiece, or one of them."
He was inducted into the Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame in 2003, before retiring in 2014.
Made a member of the order of Australia in 2006, he was also a member of FIFA's Ethics Committe.
Sporting commentator Ned Hall told the ABC Les Murray was widely respected in sport broadcasting circles - doing much to bring mainstream attention and transparency to the game.
"I think it just goes to show the respect and esteem in football in Australia and also globally as well that he rose to that position within FIFA. And I say within FIFA reservedly because he was a big critic of the corruption and the way it had gone in more recent years as well. So he was quite willing to speak out the failure of processes that impacted the World Cup bids and particularly in recent times. But I think it was all out of that love for the game, the passion for game, globally and in Australia as well he just wanted the best of football."
Les Murray is survived by his partner and two daughters.
