Ex-Cardiff Midfielder Peter Whittingham Dies at Age 35

Former Cardiff City player Peter Whittingham has died aged 35.

The Championship club confirmed the news on Thursday:

Whittingham last played for Cardiff in 2017. He made 457 appearances for the Bluebirds after joining them in 2007 from Aston Villa, scoring 96 goals from midfield.

Per BBC Sport, Whittingham, who also played for Burnley, Derby County and Blackburn Rovers during a 15-year senior career, had been in hospital as a result of head injuries suffered in a pub in Barry, Wales, on March 7.

South Wales Police said he had an "accidental fall," per Sky Sports.

Whittingham started his career at Villa after rising through the academy ranks, making 63 appearances, but he moved to Cardiff in the Championship after finding his first-team opportunities limited.

During his decade with the Bluebirds, Whittingham played a crucial part in their promotion to the Premier League in 2013, scoring eight goals in 40 league appearances.

The former England under-21 international also started for Cardiff in both the 2008 FA Cup final against Portsmouth and the 2012 League Cup final against Liverpool. 

There were numerous tributes to Whittingham on social media:

He finished his career at Blackburn, where he made 20 League One appearances in 2017-18 during a season that saw them promoted back to the Championship. He left the club by mutual consent following the season and retired.