THE 29-year-old wife of Tommy Coyne, the former Celtic player, died

suddenly yesterday in a Merseyside hospital.

It is understood that Mrs Alison Coyne was found unconscious by her

husband in the bedroom of the couple's home in Heswall on the Wirral in

the early hours of the morning. She was taken to the Arrowe Park

Hospital nearby where she died shortly after 5am.

A post-mortem examination was being carried out to establish the cause

of death.

The Liverpool Coroners Office said Mr Coyne was too distraught to

speak about the circumstances.

The couple have three children, the youngest of whom is only three

months old.

Mr Coyne, 30, plays for Tranmere Rovers. His parents, who were on

holiday in Spain, were flying back yesterday to be by their son's side.

The player, who was raised in Govan, started his career with

Clydebank. After playing for Celtic for four years he moved to Tranmere

last year.

The Merseyside club immediately cancelled a pre-season friendly match

with Altrincham as a mark of respect.