Tottenham Hotspur has announced that its under-23 coach Ugo Ehiogu has died at the age of 44.

The former England and Aston Villa defender suffered a heart attack at the club's training ground.

“It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Ugo Ehiogu, our under-23 coach,” a statement from the club read.

“Ugo received immediate treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest at the training centre yesterday before being transferred to hospital, where he passed away in the early hours of the morning [Friday evening AEST]."

Ehiogu's final tweet said much about the measure of his character, and he'll be much missed not only by Spurs, but the entire football family.

Starting his career at West Bromwich Albion, Ehiogu went on to make 355 Premier League appearances during spells at Aston Villa and Middlesbrough. He also played for Scottish giant Rangers before moving back to England for a spell at Sheffield United.

Away from football, he was a huge music fan, and even founded his own record label, Dirty Hit, which has some big names on its roster including The 1975 and Wolf Alice.