Tom Moore died on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at the age of 100.

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Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP / SIPA

The British mourn an "extraordinary man", a "hero", a "beacon of hope for the world".

Tributes poured in after the death on Tuesday, at the age of 100, of British World War II veteran Tom Moore, adored for raising a record sum for caregivers during the first lockdown.

"Captain Tom" had tested positive for Covid-19 and hospitalized on Sunday.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear father, Captain Tom Moore," his daughters Hannah and Lucie said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The last year of our father's life has been nothing short of remarkable.

He got younger and lived things he never dreamed of, ”his daughters added.

37 million euros collected thanks to him

The 99-year-old during the first confinement in spring 2020, this World War II veteran initially set himself a modest goal of raising 1,000 pounds (1,100 euros) to help the national health service, the NHS, overwhelmed by the sick with the virus, pledging to walk a hundred lengths of his garden in the south of England before his hundredth birthday.

Donations had then poured in and the veteran had finally raised 33 million pounds (37 million euros), the largest amount ever raised by a single person during a charity walk.

A "light of hope"

It wasn't long before reactions poured in from across the political sphere.

“Captain Tom was a hero in the truest sense of the word.

During the dark hours of the Second World War, he fought for freedom, and in the face of the greatest crisis that our country has known after the war, he united and comforted us ”, greeted in a tweet the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“He has become not only a source of national inspiration, but also a light of hope for the world,” continued the leader, hailing his “astonishing” achievement.

The flag in front of the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street has been half-masted.

His prowess in the spring had raised him to celebrity rank, Queen Elizabeth even coming out of confinement to knight him, in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

"The hearts of the Queen and the Royal Family are with the family of Captain Tom Moore," to whom she will send a private message of condolence, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday.

" Thank you for everything "

Small bubble of lightness in the middle of a gloomy year, the image of the veteran leaning over his walker and moving forward at all costs had galvanized the British and their feeling of gratitude towards the NHS caregivers.

“Thanks for everything, Tom,” the NHS tweeted.

Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said he was "deeply saddened by the news" of his death.

“He was an amazing man who inspired and boosted morale across the nation,” he said in a tweet.

“This is incredibly sad news.

The United Kingdom has just lost a hero ", also lamented the leader of the Labor opposition Keir Starmer, hailing a personality who" had put others first in the midst of the national crisis, becoming a beacon of hope for millions of people ”.

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