Dick Butkus, who was widely regarded as one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history, has died at the age of 80.

Butkus passed away "peacefully in his sleep overnight" in his Malibu, California, home, according to the Chicago Bears.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was born in Chicago and played his entire football career in the state of Illinois -- first as a star at Chicago Vocational High School, then as a two-time All-American at Illinois, and finally as an all-time Bears legend.