But the effects of surgery could dictate a change of lifestyle for Ellis who first took charge of Villa 37 years ago.

Villa are to hold a board meeting to decide on “ongoing responsibilities” during Ellis’s absence from his desk in the forthcoming weeks.

Operations director Steve Stride and company stringer Marion Stringer will manage the day-to-day club business along with other board members.

But Villa are already short of a chief executive following Bruce Langham’s shock decision to quit the midlands club at the end of the season.

Ellis first joined the Villa board in 1968 and had a spell as chairman before stepping down in 1975.

He severed his links with the club in 1979 only to return in November 1982 as the controlling shareholder.

He has acquired the nickname of ‘Deadly Doug’ through his reputation for sacking managers and has worked with 13 bosses in his two spells at Villa.

He has always enjoyed a love-hate relationship with the Villa fans for his apparent reluctance to invest in team building, although the club are financially stable.

Ellis, who was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s honours list, also served for many years on the Football Association International Committee.

He did relinquish his duties as Villa chief executive in April 2004 when Langham came to the helm after undertaking a similar role at Fulham.

But Ellis made it clear that he had intention of relinquishing his control in Villa when he rejected a takeover bid from a consortium headed by former Manchester City player Ray Ranson just over 12 months ago.

Now it would be a massive wrench for Ellis to prise himself away from full-time duties at Villa Park because of his health.