Mr Atkinson’s former friend and team-mate, Carlton Palmer, said he had struggled after his sporting career ended. “It can be a very risky spiral and unfortunately that’s what it was for Dalian”.
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Former players including Sol Campbell and Ian Taylor have paid tribute to the 48-year-old following his death.
Coping with the end of his career wasn’t easy for Dalian Atkinson.
West Mercia Police said officers were called on Monday morning amid concerns “for the safety of an individual” and then deployed the stun guns.
Mr Atkinson’s death follows that of ex-soldier Spencer Beynon, who was Tasered by police in Llanelli, South Wales, in June after stabbing a dog and then himself.
The incident has now been referred to police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Atkinson was pronounced dead at around 3pm, police said.
In 2014, police in England and Wales used tasers more than 10,000 times and in more than 1,700 occasions, Home Office figures showed.
Only 19% (1,921) were actual discharges – down 3% from the previous year – where the weapon was sacked.
In 1994, the striker scored at Wembley as Villa beat Manchester United to lift the League Cup. The most games he played for a club was 85 for Aston Villa, but he is forever remembered by English fans for the goal scored for Villa in 1992, the first year of the English Premier League.
Ron Atkinson – no relation – coached Dalian Atkinson at Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa.
There have been numerous tributes from the footballing world to Mr Atkinson, who was a top-flight striker for Aston Villa in the 1990s.
An IPCC spokeswoman said: ‘IPCC investigators are at the scene gathering the available information and are attending the post incident procedures to supervise the recovery of initial evidence.
The former Premier League star was 48 years old.
IPCC deputy chair Rachel Cerfontyne said: “I would like to assure people that we have begun a full and thorough investigation into police contact with Dalian Atkinson prior to his death, including the level and type of force used”.
Sheffield Wednesday, the team Atkinson played for from 1989 to 1990, wrote: “The thoughts of everyone at Wednesday are with the friends and family of Dalian Atkinson this morning”.
With the news of Atkinson’s passing today, the club have confirmed that a minute’s applause will be held for the player in the 10th minute of the game tomorrow evening, and in recognition of the iconic shot of him carrying Deano with Hughton in tow – and the man with the umbrella, the club will asking several members of the “fan squad” to hold up umbrellas at various locations around the pitch to commemorate this celebration after his glorious cracker against Wimbledon in 1992. “It just seems insane that a week later he is no longer here”.
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Club owner and chairman Tony Xia ruled out the gesture on health and safety grounds, but said another tribute was in the works.
