Golf great Seve Ballesteros dies at 54

great Seve Ballesteros has died. He was 54.

According to a statement on his website, Ballesteros died early Saturday surrounded by his family at his home in the northern Spanish town of Pedrena.

The Ballesteros family said it "is very grateful for all the support and gestures of love that have been received since Seve was diagnosed with a brain tumour on 5th October 2008."

On Friday, his family announced that the five-time major winner had suffered "severe deterioration" in his recovery from a cancerous brain tumor.

Ballesteros fainted at Madrid's international airport while waiting to board a flight to Germany on Oct. 6, 2008, and was subsequently diagnosed with the brain tumor. One of his operations was a 6 1/2-hour procedure to remove the tumor and reduce swelling around the brain. After leaving the hospital, he had chemotherapy.