Kiwi rugby great Jonah Lomu has died at the age of 40, according to several media outlets.
3 News reported that All Black doctor John Mayhew confirmed Jonah had unexpectedly passed away this morning, in his hometown of Auckland.
“It’s a obviously a very difficult time for Jonah’s family. He’s a great rugby player and a great person. It’s a terrible tragedy,” Mr Mayhew told TV3.
The sporting legend had been battling Nephrotic syndrome, the rare kidney disorder that had seen him pull out of playing rugby back in 2002. He received a transplant in 2004, but suffered another setback in 2011 when he had to pull out of a charity boxing event due to further troubles with his kidney.
Watch: Jonah Lomu steamrolls English defence in 1995 Rugby World Cup
Over the course of his sporting career, Jonah rose to fame as one of the all-time rugby union greats. He made a total of 73 appearances in the All Black jersey, making his Test debut in 1994 against France.
Most recently, Jonah had been in England with his family to act as a spokesman for Heineken during this year’s Rugby World Cup. He appeared in an advertisement for the brand earlier this year, where he surprised Dublin rugby fans by stepping outside of a quiz machine.
