Alyne Payton, mother of NFL great Walter, dies at 87

COLUMBIA, Miss., May 9 (UPI) -- Alyne Payton, mother of the late NFL Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, has died in Columbia, Miss. She was 87.

Payton died Sunday night after an extended illness and services are scheduled for Saturday, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

"She will be buried next to my father and with Walter," said Eddie Payton, older brother of the late Chicago Bears superstar and who also played in the National Football League for five years. "We are going to bury Walter's ashes with her. That's what she wanted."

Eddie Payton said his mother was the bedrock of the family and taught Walter, their sister Pam and him the value of hard work and faith. All three of the Payton children were at Jackson State at the same time on scholarships.

"It gave us all the joy in the world to accomplish some things that she had only heard about and read about," Eddie Payton said.

Walter Payton died at age 45 Nov. 1, 1999, of complications from bile duct cancer, a rare liver disease.