Celebs, fans and colleagues are mourning Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona, who has died at age 60.
The athlete, a former captain for the country’s national team who is considered one of the game’s best players of all time, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, Nov. 25, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery, ESPN reported. Following news of Maradona’s death, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning.
“You took us to the highest place in the world,” the country’s leader tweeted in Spanish, alongside a photo of the two hugging. “You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of all. Thanks for existing, Diego. We are going to miss you the rest of our lives.”
Maradona’s career peaked in 1986, when he helped Argentina’s national soccer team win the World Cup, beating England. However, his career low came in 1994, when he was kicked out of the World Cup after being found guilty of doping. In 2000, he survived a cocaine-induced heart failure. He later went to rehab. In recent years, he battled other health issues and underwent emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma several weeks ago, ESPN said.
Maradona is survived by his longtime partner, Veronica Ojeda, two daughters, and two sons.
