Pavel Srnicek
Pavel Srnicek collapsed on 20 December. Getty

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek has died at the age of 47. The former Czech Republic international suffered a cardiac arrest while out jogging on 20 December. He was taken to hospital in Ostrava where he was placed in an induced coma.

The popular shot stopper had two spells with Newcastle, making 150 appearances for the club during the first between 1991 and 1998. He also had stints at Portsmouth and West Ham United.

His agent, Steve Wraith, said in a statement on Facebook: "It is with deep sadness that I have to announce the passing of former Newcastle United player Pavel Srnicek."

Srnicek helped Newcastle achieve promotion to the Premier League in 1993 under Kevin Keegan and remained part of the squad as the Magpies challenged for the title in the mid-90s. He returned to the north east for a second spell at the club in 2006 to provide his services amid an injury crisis.

Srnicek's name was sang out by those in attendance at St James' Park during Newcastle's Boxing Day match with Everton. His 17-year career also took him to Italy and Portugal and represented his country on 49 occasions.

The statement from Wraith continued: "Despite the best medical attention the final brain scans on Monday showed irreversible damage and the decision had to be taken to switch off the life support machine. PavEL passed away on the afternoon of Tuesday 29 December 2015 with his family by his side.

"Pavel the goalkeeping coach at Sparta Prague had recently been on a whistle stop tour of Tyneside to promote his autobiography 'Pavel Is A Geordie', something that he was very proud of. My final conversation with him was about getting the team back together one more time for charity next year as it will be 20 years since that Newcastle team almost won the Premier League. We will make that happen and celebrate this great man's life together. United. Fans and players alike."

His former teammate Alan Shearer was quick to pay tribute to the goalkeeper while the hashtag #pavelisageordie has swiftly topped UK Twitter trends.