Diego Maradona 's younger brother, Hugo, died of a heart attack aged 52.- It comes just over a year after after a cardiac arrest killed the
soccer icon.
Diego Maradona's younger brother, Hugo, died at the age of 52 after a heart attack, the same thing that killed his famed older sibling.
Hugo, who was also a professional soccer player, died at home near Naples on Tuesday, according to BBC Sport.
Naples is the city where Diego spent the peak of his career from 1984 to 1991, and also hosted Hugo for a time. He leaves behind a wife, Paola Morra, and three children.
A former Argentine youth international, Hugo played in Italy, Austria, Argentina, Spain, and Japan. He was signed by Napoli in 1987, joining Diego, before being loaned to Ascoli.
Later that same year, the two brothers played against each other with Diego's Napoli coming out on top 2-1.
"The thoughts of club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, vice president Edoardo De Laurentiis, officials, coaching staff, the players and the whole SSC Napoli family are with the Maradona family after the sad passing of Hugo," said Napoli in a brief statement on Tuesday.
Newell's Old Boys, another of his older brother's former clubs, also paid tribute to Hugo on social media.
"Sad news about the death today of Hugo Maradona, brother of Diego," tweeted the Argentine club alongside of photo of Hugo together with Lionel Messi, who played for the team as a boy before joining FC Barcelona. "RIP."
—Newell's Old Boys - English (@Newells_en) December 28, 2021
Hugo's death was 13 months after a heart attack arrest killed Diego.
Diego, widely considered one of the greatest soccer players ever, died in November 2020 aged 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Buenos Aires, where he had been recovering after brain surgery.
An investigation into Diego's death was opened shortly after his passing, with police searching the house of the soccer icon's former neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque.
A medical board was also appointed to determine whether there was evidence of culpable homicide from his medical team.
After the board disclosed in a report that Diego had received "deficient and reckless" healthcare before his death, seven medical professionals, including Luque, were charged with homicide.
Luque and the other suspects are awaiting trial.