Serie A shocked when Fiorentina captain suddenly dies in hotel

• DNUM_AFZADZCABI 09:35

Center-back Davide Astori suddenly passed away in his sleep at the age of 31 before the match against Udinesse, round 27 of Serie A on the morning of March 4.

Fiorentina captain died of heart failure without any prior signs. Photo:Sun.

According to The Sun, a therapist found the Fiorentina captain dead in his hotel room while he was sleeping. Davide Astori is said to have suffered a "natural cardiac arrest" - a form of heart failure - but there were no previous signs. The news of the 31-year-old star's death shocked Serie A on Sunday.

A Fiorentina spokesman said: "He did not come down to breakfast with the team at 9:30 and did not answer the phone despite always being the first to arrive. So we went to Davide's room to check and found that he had passed away in his sleep. Davide's body is being examined by forensic doctors."

The 31-year-old centre-back's passing leaves behind his longtime girlfriend Francesca Fioretti and their two-year-old daughter. Photo:Instagram.

The tragedy occurred just a day after Astori and the Fiorentina squad traveled to Udine to prepare for their match against Udinese. All Serie A matches scheduled for March 4 were postponed following the unexpected passing of the Fiorentina captain. A number of famous, former and current players and coaches in Italy have sent their condolences to Fiorentina and Davide Astori's family.

The 31-year-old star left behind his long-term girlfriend Francesca Fioretti and their two-year-old daughter, Vittoria. The Fiorentina centre-back won 14 caps for his country after being called up in 2011. Astori began his career at Milan in 2006 for two years but failed to make a Serie A appearance before making 174 appearances for Cagliari over eight years. He also had loan spells at Roma and Fiorentina. He officially moved to Fiorentina in 2016.