The popular Italian sports journalist and commentator Franco Lauro has been found dead inside his home in Rome.

Lauro, aged 58, was found lifeless inside his home after neighbours had gone two days without hearing from him. In the end, firefighters had to pry open the door to his home. Italian media report that Lauro had suffered a heart attack.

Lauro, a long-time Rai correspondent, commented on eight summer and one winter Olympic games and for years was one of the most popular voices in sporting television.

A massive football fan, he also commented on six World Cup tournaments and another six European Championships in a career with Rai which started in 1984.

He presented programmes such as La Domenica Sportiva and 90º minuto – programmes which are synonymous with followers of Italian football.