The greatest footballer of his generation suffered a cardiac arrest at a home in Tigre, Argentina.
Maradona had been recuperating from the removal of a blood clot on the brain.
Born in the Villa Fiorito area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Maradona made his professional football debut while still aged 15 with Argentinos Juniors in 1976.
A prodigious talent from the off, he scored 115 goals in 167 appearances for Juniors before a move to Boca Juniors in 1981.
He would spend just over a year at the Bombanera, but it was one that cemented his status as one of the greatest talents the world had ever seen.
Despite a disappointing showing at his first World Cup in 1982, that ended with his sending off against Brazil, he made a record-breaking move to Barcelona.
But despite a bright start, Maradona failed to properly settle in Spain. A combination of illness, a broken ankle courtesy of Andoni Goikoetxea and off-field problems led to him fleeing for Napoli in the summer of 1984.
Viewed as a surprising move at the time, it would prove a masterstroke.
Maradona settled into Naples like a native, and helped raise an ordinary Serie A side to the status of champions in the 1986-87 season.
That, of course, followed his display at the Mexico World Cup.
Maradona captained Argentina to their second world title, scoring incredible and infamous goals along the way against England and Belgium.
He was star of the show and creator supreme in the final, when they beat West Germany 3-2 in the baking sun of the Azteca. (newstalk)
