<p>This tribute to Donald Lynden-Bell outlines his outstanding contributions to astrophysics. His seminal papers include the evidence for the collapse of the Galaxy (1962), violent relaxation in stellar systems (1967), galactic nuclei as collapsed old quasars (1969), the Great Attractor (1988), and galactic streams (1995). We also include biographical details, and we highlight how Donald inspired generations of students and colleagues.</p>