Percy Abeysekara, cricket's first superfan, an iconic figure in Sri Lanka cricket, breathed his last on Monday in Colombo at the age of 87.

Affectionately known as 'Uncle Percy,' he was a constant presence at Sri Lanka matches since their first Test against England in 1982.

"It is with great sadness that I heard our beloved Uncle Percy has met his maker. You were the first superfan and for all of us you will always be special. RIP," wrote Sanath Jayasuriya on X on Monday.

And while an avid supporter of his national side, he was known for the respect with which he treated the opposition -- a far cry from the sledging employed by the fans of some teams, and even their players.

He rose to global prominence during the 1996 World Cup when seen parading the Sri Lanka flag around the ground in Lahore, after Sri Lanka's victory in the final and was among the first generation of cricket's globe-trotting super-fans.

Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana paid tribute to Abeysekara following his side's seven-wicket defeat by Afghanistan in a World Cup match in Pune on Monday.

"I just heard about it; I didn't know actually. We feel sorry for him because he was the main guy who was there when I was a kid also. I saw him waving the flag so as a team we are disappointed to hear that news." 

Abeysekera had twice been invited to join the Sri Lankan cricket board but declined the position.

"There are three things I don't like in the whole world, one is politics, the other one is cricket administration, and the third one is birth control," he had said.

His grandsons are named Garfield after the West Indies' Sobers, the first batsman to hit six sixes in a first-class over, and Sachinka for Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar.

Abeysekera had worked for 59 years for a cable company, and friends and family take care of his accommodation at different venues.

As a boy, Abeysekera saw Don Bradman play at the Colombo Oval in 1948, and nearly half a century later watched Sri Lanka defeat Australia in Lahore to win the 50-over World Cup, one of his lifetime cricketing highlights.

Abeysekera's affable demeanour won him the affection of even his beloved team's opponents.

Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe once handed him his man-of-the-match award and he was embraced by Virat Kohli during India's tour to Sri Lanka in 2015 and even invited into the visitors' dressing room.