Fosbury, a hugely well-liked figure in the sport, developed a method that came to be known as the Fosbury Flop in which he arched over the bar backwards - in contrast to all previous methods which had involved facing the bar.

It has since become almost exclusively the technique used at international level.

Fosbury’s former agent, Ray Schulte, announced the news on Instagram on Monday.

"It is with a very heavy heart I have to release the news that longtime friend and client Dick Fosbury passed away peacefully in his sleep early Sunday morning after a short bout with a recurrence of lymphoma," he said.

Fosbury had begun experimenting with the "Flop" at school and, encouraged by his coaches, he had all-but perfected it by the time he was in higher education.

But it was only in an Olympic final that lasted four hours that he brought it to bear decisively as he cleared 2.24 metres to set an Olympic and United States record.

That was the high point of Fosbury’s personal career, but his legacy has been unrivalled.

Reflecting on his innovation to The Guardian in 2012, Fosbury said: "I guess it did look kind of weird at first but it felt so natural that, like all good ideas, you just wonder why no one had thought of it before me."

In fact another high jumper had also found their own, instinctive path to this new way of clearing the bar - Canada's double Commonwealth champion Debbie Brill, who developed what she termed the Brill Bend during her childhood playing days and was videoed employing it as early as 1966.

She was reported as saying: "I was quite shocked when I saw Fosbury jump the first time. 

"I thought I was the only one doing it."

Fosbury’s technique gained its name from a 1964 report in the Medford Mail-Tribune, which captioned a photo with the words: "Fosbury Flops Over Bar."

He later commented: "It was alliterative, it was descriptive, and I liked the contradiction - a flop that could be a success."

Fosbury is survived by his wife Robin Tomasi, son Erich and stepdaughters Stephanie Thomas-Phipps and Kristin Thompson.

After the national anthem during his Olympic medal ceremony, Fosbury stated that he raised his fist in solidarity with earlier civil rights protests made at the Games.

"Our sport lost a true legend and innovator today," USA Track & Field wrote on Twitter.