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Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70.<\/p>\nThree-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70.<\/p>\n
The former racing driver \u201cpassed away peacefully\u201d, his family said on Monday in a statement reported by the Austria Press Agency.<\/p>\n
Tributes poured in for the Austrian, who was called a \u201clegend\u201d by British racing driver Jenson Button.<\/p>\n
He tweeted: \u201cA legend has left us. Rest in peace Niki.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauda was also mourned by the McLaren Formula One team, who wrote: \u201cAll at McLaren are deeply saddened to learn that our friend, colleague and 1984 Formula 1 World Champion, Niki Lauda, has passed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cNiki will forever be in our hearts and enshrined in our history.\u201d<\/p>\n
His family added in their statement: \u201cHis unique successes as a sportsman and entrepreneur are and remain unforgettable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis tireless drive, his straightforwardness and his courage remain an example and standard for us all. Away from the public gaze, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather. We will miss him very much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauda narrowly escaped death in 1976 when his Ferrari crashed at the Nurburgring in Germany.<\/p>\n
He made a miraculous recovery despite horrific burns and finished second in the championship to James Hunt.<\/p>\n
The rivalry between the pair was later made into a film starring Daniel Bruhl as Lauda and Chris Hemsworth as Hunt in 2013.<\/p>\n
He went on to win two of his three titles as well as becoming a prominent figure in the aviation industry.<\/p>\n
In 1979 he left the sport to concentrate on setting up his airline, Lauda Air.<\/p>\n
He briefly returned to racing following an offer from McLaren, winning the F1 drivers\u2019 championship for a third time in 1984, before retiring for good the following year.<\/p>\n
Lauda founded a new airline, Niki, in 2003.<\/p>\n
In later years, he served as the non-executive chairman of the Mercedes team and formed a close bond with driver Lewis Hamilton, who joined the team in 2013.<\/p>\n
Over the past few decades, Lauda twice underwent kidney transplants, receiving an organ donated by his brother in 1997 and a kidney donated by his girlfriend in 2005.<\/p>\n
In August last year, he underwent a lung transplant that the Vienna General Hospital said was made necessary by a \u201cserious lung illness\u201d.<\/p>\n
He was released for rehabilitation nearly four months later but was back in hospital in January with influenza.<\/p>\n
The doctor that performed the transplant, Walter Klepetko, confirmed his death early on Tuesday morning, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n
Lauda is survived by his second wife Birgit, and his children, Max, Mia, Mathias, Lukas and Christoph.<\/p>\n