Captain Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who entered the heart of a confined nation while tinkering with his garden to raise money for health professionals, died after positive test for COVID-19. He was 100 years old.
His family announced Moore’s death on Tuesday in a tweet with your photo. Two days earlier, the family posted a declaration saying he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and tested positive for coronavirus.
Captain Tom, as he became known in newspaper headlines and TV interviews, started to raise 1,000 pounds (about $ 1,300) for Britain’s National Health Service by doing 100 laps in his backyard. But his search went viral and caught the attention of millions of people trapped at home during the first wave of the pandemic. Donations came from all over Britain and from as far away as the United States and Japan, raising about 33 million pounds (more than $ 40 million).
“That’s a lot of money – it’s not,” Moore said to CBS News foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata.
DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS
After finishing his walk, Moore also participated in a charity single, “You will never walk alone”, and became the oldest number 1 British artist of all time.
“I was absolutely amazed, I must say. It brought a smile to my face because I thought, ‘Oh, honey, look at all the people in the music who were pushed out of the top slot all over the world,'” he said .
Moore was honored with a knight title by Queen Elizabeth in July. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “a real national treasure”.
For three weeks in April, fans were met daily with captain Tom’s videos, bent over by age, obstinately pushing his walker in the garden. But it was his cheerful attitude during a dark moment that inspired people to look beyond sickness and loss.
“Always remember, tomorrow will be a good day,” said Moore in an interview during his walk, pronouncing the words that have become his trademark.