UK's 100-year-old fundraising hero Tom Moore dies of COVID-19

UK pandemic fundraising hero Tom Moore died due to coronavirus in hospital on Tuesday. The 100-year-old British army veteran raised millions of pounds to help Britain's health service in containing coronavirus pandemic last year.

Confirming his death, his daughters said that he had been suffering from pneumonia for the past weeks and tested positive for COVID-19.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore," his daughters said in a statement following his death on Tuesday morning at Bedford Hospital in central England.

He was hospitalised when he needed help with his breathing at the weekend. His family said they were with him on Monday night during the last hours of his life.

"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," said the family statement.

Moore struck a chord with locked-down Britain by walking around his garden with the help of a frame to raise 38.9 million pounds ($53 million) for the National Health Service. His fundraising efforts won the country's hearts and he was knighted by the Queen in July.

Over the last five years, he had been receiving treatment for prostate and skin cancer, his family said. He was fighting pneumonia and was taken to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 22, unable to be vaccinated due to the other medication he was taking.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Tuesday that the Queen sent private message of condolence to Moore's family. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also sent his condolences to the family.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock was one of the first senior British officials to pay tribute to the pensioner hero, saying on his social media site: "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."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Queen Elizabeth led the tributes to Moore, whose exploits won global admiration.

"Captain Tom Moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word," said Johnson, who spoke to Moore's daughter Hannah to pass on his condolences. "He became not just a national inspiration but a beacon of hope for the world."

The flag above his Downing Street office was lowered to half-mast in Moore's honour.

Number 10 Downing Street will lower the flag to half mast in tribute to him, reported the BBC.