Roman Reigns 'heartbroken' following death of his brother Matthew 'Rosey' Anoa'i

Roman Reigns and his family members are "heartbroken" following the death of his older brother Matthew "Rosey" Anoa'i on Monday (17 April). The former WWE tag team champion was 47 years old.

The cause of Rosey's death has not known been revealed, but reports suggest that he has been in hospital since 2014 for some heart disease.

Anoa'i family announced his death on Tuesday. "The Anoa'i family is mourning the loss of Sika's son, Matt aka Rosey, due to an untimely death. We want to let his fans know that he loved them and the wrestling world so much."

The bereaved family requested fans in the statement to "respect the privacy of his children and family" at this difficult time. Rosey has left behind three children.

The WWE on Tuesday in a statement paid tributes to the former WWE star.

"The imposing, powerful tandem tore through Raw's tag team division before going their separate ways. Rosey then formed a beloved superhero duo with The Hurricane, which culminated in his first World Tag Team Championship reign," the statement read on the entertainment company's website.

Rosey was the eldest son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika. He was with the WWE as a member of the tag team 3 Minute Warning between 2002 and 2006 and acted as an enforcer for then Raw general manager Eric Bischoff along with cousin Eddie Fatu – whose ring name was Jamal.

After Jamal left the company, Rosey changed his gimmick by wearing a mask and was called "Super Hero In Training" and teamed up with "Hurricane" Shane Helms. Together they won the World Tag Team Championship.

Rosey appeared in various other pro-wrestling promotions such as All Japan and AWF after leaving the WWE.