MADRID (Reuters) -- Recently retired Spanish cyclist Jose Maria Jimenez died on Sunday at the age of 32, a spokesman for the Madrid coroner's office has said.

Jimenez, who retired from cycling two years ago following a bout of depression, was taken into hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.

An autopsy was taking place, the coroner's office added.

Jimenez, who raced for the ibanesto.com team in Spain, was one of his country's most popular cyclists and renowned for a fearless climbing style.

His best performances came in the Tour of Spain, including a third place overall in 1998 and three stage wins and the King of the Mountains prize in 2000.

"It's a premature death, one which we all regret," Manolo Saez, boss of the Spanish cycling team ONCE, told Radio Marca on Sunday. "He was a great fighter who was trying to recover from his depression."