081616joelcornette.jpg
Former Butler standout Joel Cornette helped the Bulldogs make three consecutive NCAAs. Getty Images

Former Butler standout Joel Cornette, who started for the Bulldogs from 1999 to 2003 and led the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances, died early Tuesday at his home in Chicago.

He was 35 years old.

"This morning, we spoke with the Cornette Family, who has confirmed that their beloved son and brother, Joel, passed away early this morning due to natural causes," read a statement from Butler Basketball's official Twitter account. "They are shocked and devastated by this news. The Butler Family also mourns the loss of one of our favorite Bulldogs."

Former Butler coach Brad Stevens, now the coach of the Boston Celtics, reacted to his former player's death.

An autopsy is pending to try to determine the specific cause of death, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Cornette had spent the past four years working for Priority Sports and Entertainment, an agency based in Chicago. Previously, he was an assistant at both Butler and Iowa, where he worked for Todd Lickliter. Cornette also spent two years as a college basketball broadcaster for ESPN.

This is the latest sad news for the Butler program.

Andrew Smith, who played for Stevens' teams that made back-to-back appearances in the title game of the NCAA Tournament, died in January after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Then, in February, Butler assistant Emerson Kampen lost his 6-month-old son, Emerson Kampen IV, to a genetic disease.