NITV News has been granted permission by the family of Willie Rioli Snr to use his name and images.
Willie Rioli Senior, a member of the famous Rioli footballing clan from Melville Island, north of Darwin, died from a heart attack, aged just 50 years.
He was a champion of the Northern Territory Football League where he won four premierships with his beloved St Marys.
He was just a teenager when he took out the league's highest individual honor, the Nichols Medal.
Rioli Snr then went on to star in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL), before being drafted to AFL powerhouse Hawthorn in 1990.
'A classy player'
Dual Essendon premiership player Michael Long said was shocked and saddened at news of Rioli Snr's death.
"Like everyone in the football community and the Darwin community, I'm pretty much in shock and it's still quite raw now talking about Willie," Long said.
"[He was] very dynamic, like a lot of the Rioli family have been, the way he could move the ball. [He was] a very classy player but just smart, just footy smart.
"He might have been short in stature but the way he played with courage and the way he could move and dance around players ... Willie was always one of those players that you’d always love to have in your side."
Rioli Senior wowed WAFL crowds during two seasons at South Fremantle before he got his shot at the big time.
Willie Rioli Snr during his playing days at South Fremantle. Image: Supplied
Long said Rioli Snr's time at Hawthorn coincided with one of the club's greatest eras, and while he didn't manage a senior game, he returned to the Top End a better player and emerging leader.
"Sometimes it is all about timing and a lot of great players were still playing at Hawthorn and they held on for a good while so [Rioli Snr] didn't get his opportunity," Long said.
"We probably didn't get the chance to see the best of him at the height of his footballing career but even just to make it to that level was a great achievement and Willie was one of those great trailblazers at that time."
Rioli's son, Willie Rioli Junior, plays for West Coast in the AFL and is expected to fly back to the Top End tomorrow to be with family.
Rioli Snr is also survived by his wife Georgina and daughters Nikita and Kathleen.
Memorial services are expected to be held in Darwin and on the Tiwi Islands.
