Former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has died of cancer at the age of 45. The club made the announcement this afternoon on their official Twitter account.

Vilanova replaced Pep Guardiola as coach of Spanish outfit in April 2012 but stepped down in July of the following year when his health worsened. He was originally diagnosed with the condition in November 2011 and suffered a relapse of the illness in December 2012.

He was admitted to a clinic yesterday (Thursday) when his condition worsened and the Daily Mail reported that he was suffering from "gastric complications".

The Spaniard was in charge of the Catalan giants for 60 games during his tenure, winning 49, drawing 9 and losing 8 and had previously been assistant to Guardiola and manager of the Barcelona B side.