The Family of Captain Sir Tom Moore has confirmed that he has sadly passed away.
A spokesperson for the family said:
‘It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father’ who has died at the age of 100
A tweet shared on Sir Tom’s twitter page included a picture of the heroic fundraiser with the year that he was born along with the year ‘2021’
The decorated retired Army officer served in India and Myanmar during World War Two but it was by walking laps around his garden that he became known to millions of people around the world.
Sir Tom became an inspiration for an untold number of people as the first wave of the pandemic led to a national lockdown. When the morale of the nation was low, Captain Sir Tom became a true inspiration.
Aged 99, he found global stardom with his attempt to raise an initial £1,000 for charity.
Early in April 2020, with the aid of his walking frame, he vowed to complete 100 laps of his patio before his 100th birthday at the end of that month.
The war veteran was inspired to help the NHS after receiving treatment for skin cancer of the head, and a broken hip after a fall in 2018.
He described the NHS staff who helped him through this as “marvellous”, and pledged to help those same “super” people who were working on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic.
By the time he closed his fundraising page at midnight on his 100th birthday, Capt Sir Tom had raised an incredible £32,794,701 for charities supporting the NHS, from more than one-and-a-half-million global donors.
Capt Sir Tom had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and last week tested positive for Covid-19, his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, said on Twitter on Sunday.
Capt Sir Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday.
In a statement, Capt Sir Tom’s daughters Mrs Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said:
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore.
“We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime.
“We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.
“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of.
“Whilst he’d been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever.”
The Chief of the General Staff said in a tweet:
‘Remembering a true Knight – Captain Sir Tom Moore – and his example and lessons for living a full life. We will remember – with gratitude and respect’
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said:
“Captain Sir Tom Moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word. In the dark days of the Second World War, he fought for freedom and in the face of this country’s deepest post war crisis he united us all, he cheered us up, and he embodied the triumph of human spirit.
“It is quite astonishing that at the age of 100 he raised more than £32 million for the NHS, and so gave countless others their own chance to thank the extraordinary men and women who have protected us through the pandemic.
“He became not just a national inspiration but a beacon of hope for the world. Our thoughts are with his daughter Hannah and all his family”
(last updated 16:5 hours / 2nd Feb)
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Gone but will never be forgotten.
RIP Sir.