The 100-year-old British citizen who raised almost £33m for NHS charities fighting Covid-19 in 2020 has died after he was taken to Bedford Hospital requiring help with his breathing on Sunday, BBC reports.

The Queen led tributes to Capt Sir Tom, “recognising the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world”.

His daughters said they “shared laughter and tears” with their father in their final few hours together.

Announcing his death, Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said the last year of their father’s life had been “nothing short of remarkable”.

He tested positive for Covid-19 last week. His family said due to other medication he was receiving for pneumonia, he was unable to be vaccinated.

He got the title Sir after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2020.

Capt Sir Tom joined the Army at the beginning of World War Two, serving in India and Myanmar, then known as Burma.

He had initially set out to raise £1,000 for NHS charities by walking 82ft (25m)-loops of his garden.

But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than 1.5m supporters, and was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday,

NHS Charities Together said that would rise to £39m when Gift Aid was taken into account.

In a statement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“Captain Sir Tom Moore was a hero in the truest sense of the word. In the dark days of the Second World War he fought for freedom and in the face of this country’s deepest post-war crisis he united us all, he cheered us all up, and he embodied the triumph of the human spirit.

“He became not just a national inspiration but a beacon of hope for the world. Our thoughts are with his daughter Hannah and all his family.”

bbc