New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu dies at 40

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Jonah Lomu, 40, retired player for New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team, died unexpectedly at his Auckland home.

A winger on New Zealand's celebrated national rugby team, the All Blacks -- a name derived more than 100 years ago from the distinctive color of their uniforms -- he represented his country in more than 60 international matches, most prominently in the 1995 World Cup. A fast runner and, at 6 feet, 5 inches tall, a punishing blocker, his career ended in 2007 because of nephrotic syndrome, a rare kidney disease.

His death was confirmed Wednesday by a doctor.

After his rugby career he became a UNICEF New Zealand ambassador and spokesman for the charity Kidney Kids NZ.

Born in the slums of Auckland of Tongan ancestry, his early life was spent in Tonga, a Polynesian island chain northeast of New Zealand.

Regarded as a gentle giant and role model for New Zealanders of Tongan ancestry, he returned to Tonga in 2011 to promote a rugby event. There, the Tongan sports minister said of Lomu, "Certainly if other countries were proud of Jonah Lomu, then firstly Tonga would be much prouder."

Despite his high-profile battle with kidney disease, including a 2004 kidney transplant, his death came as a shock to his fans. The official cause of death has not been determined.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry were among those offering condolences to Lomu's family and to New Zealand's rugby fans.