Former St Helens and Wigan Warriors star Ricky Bibey is reported to have been found dead in his hotel room in Florence.
The former rugby league player has been named by Italian media after a 40-year-old was found dead in his room at the four-star Hotel Continentale in Florence on Saturday morning when hotel staff alerted police. He is said to have arrived on Friday with a 43-year-old woman, thought to be his partner, who is currently being treated at the city's Careggi hospital after being found alongside him with serious injuries.
Italian newspaper La Nazione has said the man found dead was Bibey, with a number of his former clubs and teammates paying tribute to the former prop-forward. Leon Pryce wrote on Twitter: "Sincere condolences to Ricky's family. We played against each other since the age of about 14.
