Former hockey international Vivek Singh passed away at his residence in Varanasi on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with cancer, his family said.

Vivek, 37, was first diagnosed and treated for urinary bladder cancer in 2000, but doctors last year detected that the disease had spread to other parts of his body, including the lungs.

An employee of North-Eastern Railway, Vivek played 200 internationals for the country and represented India [ Images ] in the Seoul Olympics [ Images ] in 1988, Champions Trophy [ Images ] in Germany [ Images ] in 1989, Lahore [ Images ] World Cup and the Beijing [ Images ] Asian Games in 1990.

He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Last July, the hockey fraternity came together to financially help the former India center-half by organizing benefit matches all over the country.