Italy international defender Davide Astori died in his hotel room during the night of Saturday to Sunday, his club Fiorentina said on Sunday.

"Fiorentina are profoundly shocked to have to announce the death of captain Davide Astori after a sudden illness," the Serie A club said on Twitter. The 31-year-old, who leaves behind a two-year-old daughter, was in Udine to prepare for Sunday's match against Udinese, who announced the game has been postponed.

A club spokesman told AFP that he could not give a cause of death ahead of an autopsy. Italian media reported that Astori died of a heart attack during the night.

When Astori's death was announced on the stadium video screen, many of the players warming up walked off the field.

Astori began his career at AC Milan, also playing for Cagliari and Roma before joining Fiorentina in 2015. He played 14 times for Italy.

The Italian league postponed all seven Serie A matches scheduled for Sunday after the overnight death of Davide Astori, the Fiorentina captain.

The game between Udinese and Fiorentina, where Astori was due to play, had been called off in the morning, as had the early kick off between Genoa and Cagliari, which was abandoned when players learned the news while warming up on the pitch.

The other five games postponed were Atalanta v Sampdoria, Benevento v Verona, Chievo v Sassuolo, Torino v Crotone and AC Milan v Inter Milan.