Italy international defender Davide Astori died in his hotel room during the night of Saturday to Sunday, his club Fiorentina said on Sunday.
“Fiorentina are profoundly shocked to have to announce the death of captain Davide Astori after a sudden illness,” the Serie A club said on Twitter. The 31-year-old, who leaves behind a two-year-old daughter, was in Udine to prepare for Sunday’s match against Udinese.
Astori died of “natural causes” after a “cardiac circulatory collapse” – a type of heart attack – Antonio de Nicolo, a Udine magistrate was quoted in Italian media as saying.
The magistrate added that it was “strange that such a thing happened without any warning symptoms in a profession which is so closely monitored”.
Astori’s body was taken to a hospital in Udine for an autopsy.
Fiorentina’s game was called off in the morning. The early kick off between Genoa and Cagliari, one of Astori’s former clubs, was abandoned when players learned the news while warming up on the pitch.
The Italian league then postponed the other five Serie A matches scheduled for Sunday, including the Milan derby.
Astori began his career at AC Milan, also playing for Cagliari and Roma before joining Fiorentina in 2015. He played 14 times for Italy.