Former Formula 1 boss and privacy campaigner Max Mosley has died aged 81.

Ex-F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone who confirmed the news stated that Max Mosley passed away on Sunday.

"He was like family to me. We were like brothers. I am pleased in a way because he suffered for too long," Mr Ecclestone said.

As well as his years serving as one of the leading figures at the top of the motorsport world, Mr Mosley was also known for his campaigning efforts to strengthen press regulation.

He famously took the News Of The World to court in 2008 after the newspaper printed allegations about his private life, successfully suing its publisher after it wrongly reported he had attended a "Nazi-themed" sex party.

In 2011, the newspaper was shut down by owner Rupert Murdoch after the revelation that it had intercepted the voicemails of celebrities, crime victims and members of the Royal Family, and Mr Mosley gave financial backing to the court costs of claimants in some newspaper phone-hacking cases.

Born in London on April 13, 1940, Mr Mosley was the youngest son of 1930s British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.

He was a racing driver and a lawyer before becoming president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for Formula 1, in 1993, following previous administrative roles in motorsport. He served four terms as president before standing down in 2009.

In the wake of the death of Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna in 1994, Mr Mosley instituted widespread reform of safety in the sport. Two years later, in 1996, he led the FIA's successful campaign to modernise and strengthen EU crash test standards for the first time since 1974.

He received many government and industry awards, most notably the National de la Légion d'Honneur' in 2006, in recognition of his contribution to road safety and motorsport.