Tito Vilanova died at age 45

The ex-Barcelona coach who was hospitalised following a drastic downturn in his health which required emergency surgery, but was tragically unable to survive his battle with cancer.

The ex-central midfielder was admitted to hospital on Thursday following a downturn in his health which required an operation on his stomach on Thursday, with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirming the trainer was "fighting" for his life.

Vilanova, whose post-playing career has been tragically plagued by cancer, was unable to battle any longer and passed away on Friday afternoon.

Vilanova's public health problems began during his final season as Pep Guardiola's assistant when he was diagnosed with cancer of the parotid gland.

He took over from his long-time friend for the 2012-13 season but suffered a relapse just six months into his tenure as head coach.

He underwent surgery in December 2012, with Jordi Roura taking his place on the bench while he recovered in New York, before returning in March 2013 to see out the rest of the reason and guide Barca to La Liga victory.

However, his continued health problems saw his step down as coach of the Catalans last summer, with Gerardo Martino taking the reins in his place.

Vilanova has largely - and understandably - been out of the spotlight since he left his position at Camp Nou but rumours of his ill health have sadly been revealed to be true. He is survived by a wife and two children.

Following confirmation of his death, Barcelona president Bartomeu said in a statement: "Tito will be reference as a man and in terms of football for Barcelona forever. We thank him for everything he taught us. Rest in peace."

It summed up Vilanova and the 45-year-old's brave fight which ultimately ended in defeat - a painful loss that makes football seem so trivial right now. Tito, a man who lived and breathed Barca, also united football fans in Spain and across the world with his valiant fight. He'll be sorely missed.

Culled from goal.com