“A heart attack claimed the life of Manuel Preciado in the early hours at a hotel in Valencia,” his former side Sporting Gijon said in a statement.

Preciado, who was known for his frank speaking style, had been due to be officially unveiled as Villarreal’s new coach today on a one-year deal. Preciado lost his first wife to cancer in 2002 and two years later the youngest of the couple’s two sons was killed in a car accident at the age of 15. Last year his father died after being run over by a car.