Reports out of Italy suggest Davide Astori died of natural causes after doctors performed an autopsy on the late Fiorentina captain. Astori was found dead in his hotel room on Sunday at the age of 31.Doctors who carried out Tuesday’s autopsy on the late Italian soccer player Davide Astori were quoted by news agency ANSA as saying the Fiorentina captain’s death “possibly had a bradycardic origin.”
Bradycardic is defined as a slow heartbeat rate, usually under 60 beats per minute in adults.
Prosecutor Antonio De Nicolo later went on Italian television to say that Astori had died a natural death, adding that further details would be made public once tissue analysis had been completed in around 60 days.
The autopsy findings should bring to a close the prosecution’s investigation into whether Astori’s death was caused by manslaughter.
Astori was found dead in his hotel room on Sunday ahead of Fiorentina’s Serie A match at Udinese. He was 31 years old.
Mourners to pay their respects in Florence on Wednesday
Astori’s body will be transferred to Florence on Wednesday, where it will be laid out for mourners outside the Italian football federation’s offices on the outskirts of the city.
Florence mayor Dario Nardella has also invited the city to observe a minute’s silence at 1 p.m. local time (1200 UTC).
In a tribute to Astori, both Fiorentina and his former club Cagliari announced they would retire the number 13 jersey, which the defender donned for both teams.
“In honor of Davide #Astori’s memory, @CagliariCalcio and #ACFFiorentina have decided to retire the No. 13 shirt. #DA13,” Fiorentina said on the club’s Twitter account.
Astori made 289 Serie A appearances over 10 seasons and won 14 caps for the Italian national team.
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dm/jm (dpa, SID)
