Former France defender Jean-Pierre Adams, one of the first West Africa-born men to represent the country, has died at the age of 73 after nearly 40 years in coma, his former clubs confirmed Monday.

Adams slipped into a coma after a near-fatal dose of anesthetic during a routine knee surgery caused severe brain damage in 1982.

Since the accident, he has been cared for by his wife, Bernadette.

Born in Dakar in 1948, Adams won 22 caps for Les Bleus in the 1970s, forming with Marius Tresor what was known as "the Black Guard."

He played for Nimes from 1970-73 and for PSG from 1977-79 after joining from Nice.

"We learned this morning of the death of Jean-Pierre Adams," Nimes wrote on Twitter, extending their "sincere condolences to his family."