Rick Bibey, retired rugby star, was found dead in a hotel room in Florence, Italy on Saturday. He was 40. An injured woman, his alleged partner, was found injured by his side, authorities said.

 Bibey played for England and local clubs including Wigan Warriors, Leigh Centurions and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats during his decade-long career, starting 2000. He won the Northern Rail Cup with Leigh in 2006 before retiring after his third spell with the club in 2012.

Also read: Rick Bibey dead: Know rugby star’s age, net worth, family, girlfriend and other details

The clubs and several rugby players paid their tribute to Bibey. 

“Trinity are saddened to hear of the passing of former prop-forward Ricky Bibey, aged 40,” his former team Wakefield Trinity tweeted. 

“Ricky played for Trinity between 2007 and 2009, making 60 appearances. We send our condolences to Ricky’s family and friends at this tough time.”

Also read: Bobby East dead: Tributes pour in for the NASCAR star

Leon Pryce, former St Helens, Bradford, star also paid tribute. 

“Sincere condolences to Ricky’s family. We played against each other since the age of about 14. Yorkshire vs Lancashire & together for England schools boys U16’s. A great lad. Absolutely devastating news,” he tweeted. 

Also read: Robert Lewandowski moves to Barcelona: Who replaces Polish striker at Bayern Munic

“All at the club are saddened to hear about the death of our former junior Ricky Bibey who passed away on holiday. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time,”  Leigh East, Bibey’s ameteur level club, said on Twitter. 

“We would like to send our deepest condolences to the friends and family of former Rugby League player Ricky Bibey, who has sadly passed away aged just 40. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with them at this time,” Widness Vikings tweeted. 

Also read: Arsenal’s Arteta echoes William Saliba’s enthusiasm: ‘excited to see him’

The woman is believed to be his partner. She was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. Italian media outlet La Nazione was the first to report Bibey’s death. He was 40 years old. 

As per Mirror, the police suspect that Bibey may have died from a seizure or heart attack. However, the cause of death has not been determined yet. 

The report further adds that Bibey and his alleged partner arrived at the hotel on Friday and returned in ‘high spirits’ at 2 AM on Saturday morning.