Captain Sir Tom Moore dies from coronavirus aged 100
Captain Sir Tom Moore has died after contracting coronavirus in hospital, his family has confirmed.
The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, passed away with his family at his side at Bedford Hospital this afternoon.
In a statement, his daughters Hannah 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 hum 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.”
Sir Tom was admitted to hospital with pneumonia on Sunday and contracted coronavirus shortly afterwards. He had not yet received a Covid-19 vaccine because of the medication he was taking for pneumonia, a family spokesperson said previously.
The war veteran’s daughters paid tribute to their father’s “remarkable life,” saying he “experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of”.
“Whilst he’d been in so many of our hearts for just a short time, he was an incredibly father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever,” they said in a statement.
“The care our father received from the NHS and careers over the last few weeks and years of his life has been extraordinary. They have been unfalteringly professional, kind, and compassionate and have given us many more years with him than we ever would have imagined.
“Over the past few days our father spoke a great deal about the last 12 months and how proud he felt at being able to leave behind the growing legacy of his foundation.”
His family asked for privacy to “remember the wonderful 100 years our father had.”
The war veteran captured the nation’s hearts after walking 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire before his 100th birthday.
Sir Tom had initially intended to raise £1,000 for the NHS during the first national lockdown last year. The target on his fundraising page quickly jumped to £5,000 and then £500,000, before being abandoned as donations poured into the millions.
According to the Justgiving website, which handled the donations, it was the biggest recorded individual fundraising event.
Sir Tom was conscripted into the British Army in June 1940 aged 20.
He was knighted by the Queen in July after catapulting to international acclaim and receiving donations from more than 1.5m people around the globe.
NHS Charities Together, which benefited from the millions raised, said he was an “inspiration to the country” and had also inspired many others to raise money for the same cause.
Health secretary Matt Hancock led tributes to the war veteran, tweeting: “I’m so sorry to hear that Captain Tom has passed away in hospital. He was a great British hero that showed the best of our country and I send my best wishes to his family at this time.”
The Queen sent a message to Sir Tom’s family and told of her joy at meeting him last summer.
A Royal statement said: ‘The Queen is sending a private message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Captain Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year. Her thoughts and those of the Royal Family are with them.”