Former Cardiff City midfielder Peter Whittingham has died aged 35.

The ex-Aston Villa player had been in hospital for more than a week after suffering a head injury in a fall in a pub in Barry.

Whittingham’s former club Cardiff confirmed the news.

“It is with an immeasurable amount of sorrow that we must inform supporters that Peter Whittingham has passed away at the age of 35. We are heartbroken,” they wrote in a statement.

“The news of Peter’s sudden and untimely passing has shaken us to our very foundation. Our love goes out to his wife Amanda, their young son and family.

“They are at the forefront of our thoughts and, on their behalf, we ask for their privacy to be respected at this unfathomably cruel and difficult time.”

Whittingham started his career at Villa, where he played more than 50 league games and won 17 England Under-21 caps.

He joined Cardiff for £350,000 in 2007 and established himself as a club legend with 459 appearances and 98 goals before leaving in 2017.

Whittingham then moved to Blackburn Rovers, before leaving a year later.

But it is with Cardiff that the stylish left-footed playmaker will be forever most closely associated.

Peter Whittingham scores for Cardiff City at Middlesbrough in 2008 FA Cup
During Whittingham’s 10 years with the club, the Bluebirds reached the 2008 FA Cup final, 2012 League Cup final and won promotion to the Premier League in 2013.

Whittingham was a huge fans’ favourite at Cardiff, scoring numerous spectacular long-range goals which helped earn him a place in the EFL’s team of the decade for 2005-2015.

“First and foremost, Peter was a family man – and somebody who could light up a room with his sense of humour, warmth and personality,” Cardiff’s statement added.

“Then, as a professional footballer – as a Bluebird – he excelled with talent, ease, grace and humility. Nobody did it better.”