LATEST: Aaron Hernandez's lawyer vows own death investigation

LATEST: Aaron Hernandez's lawyer says he intends to conduct his own investigation into the NFL star's prison death.

UPDATE 5.05pm: Aaron Hernandez's lawyer says he intends to conduct his own investigation into the NFL star's prison death.

Jose Baez says he was "shocked and surprised" when he was told that the former New England Patriots tight end was found hanged in his jail cell.

Mr Baez said in a statement that there were "no conversations or correspondence from Aaron to his family or legal team that would have indicated anything like this was possible".

He says Hernandez was looking forward to an opportunity for a second chance to prove his innocence in the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd.

Mr Baez won an acquittal last week for Hernandez in the separate 2012 double killing of two men.

He says Hernandez's loved ones are "heartbroken and determined to find the truth surrounding his untimely death".

EARLIER Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has been found dead in his prison cell, Massachusetts officials say.

An official with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said Hernandez was found hanged in his cell just after 3am local time on Wednesday.

Authorities tried to revive the former New England Patriots tight end, and he was pronounced dead at UMass Memorial - HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster at 4:07am.

Prison officials say the 27-year-old was in a single cell in a general population housing unit at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Centre in Shirley, Massachusetts

Authorities say Hernandez tried to block the cell door from the inside by jamming the door with various items.

Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, was acquitted on Friday over a 2012 double killing prosecutors said was fuelled by his anger over a drink spilled at a nightclub.