The world is mourning after the untimely death of former Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tioté, who collapsed and died at the age of 30 in training with his Chinese club Beijing Enterprises on Monday.
He was subsequently rushed to hospital before his death was announced by his agent, Emanuele Palladino.
"It is with deep sadness I confirm that Cheick Tiote sadly passed away earlier today (Monday) after collapsing in training," said spokesman Emanuele Palladino.
Soon after the news of his death was confirmed, some of the biggest names in the country and around the world took to social media to pay their tribute to the football star.
Harambee Stars captain and Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Victor Wanyama expressed his sadness at the sudden loss of the former Ivory Coast international.
“Rest In Peace, Cheick Tioté, my condolences to his family and friends,” tweeted Victor Wanyama.
And Samuel Abisai also marked the tragic incident in a post on his Facebook account.
"Rest in peace man.loved your game," he wrote.
Other key figures in football also took to social media to pay their respects.
A post shared by Carol Radull (@carolradull) on Jun 5, 2017 at 8:55am PDT
R.I.P Cheick Tiote pic.twitter.com/9Aqt0BS2vu
— Chuba Akpom (@cakpom) June 5, 2017Very devastating news, our thoughts and prayers goes out to his family and friends. RIP Tiote, you will always remain in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/28SfyqyZiU
— CAF (@CAF_Online) June 5, 2017Rest in peace pic.twitter.com/M8pSh2qHB0
— olaoluwa aina (@Aina2Ola) June 5, 2017Rest in peace Tiote
— Tammy abraham (@tammyabraham) June 5, 2017A post shared by Christian Atsu (@chris_atsu) on Jun 5, 2017 at 9:48am PDT
The 30-year-old spent seven years at Newcastle prior to the move to China earlier this year.
Tiote, who made more than 150 appearances in seven seasons at Newcastle, was an African Nations Cup winner with the Ivorians in 2015, although he missed the final through injury, and he also played in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.