Johannesburg, Dec.15 : New Zealand rugby great Jonah Lomu was nearly broke when he passed away unexpectedly at the age of 40, the organisers of a trust formulated to support his young sons said on Tuesday.
Lomu, who scored 37 tries in 63 matches for his side between 1994 and 2002, has had a long battle with kidney problems and underwent a life saving kidney transplant in 2004.
New Zealand Rugby Players Association chief executive Rob Nichol revealed that the Kiwi superstar had few financial assets and suggested that he might have been a victim of his own generosity where he often helped others at the expense of his own family, Sport24 reported.
Nichol said that people had presumed or assumed that Lomu had been able to earn good money over the last 10 to 15 years but added that his illness and the treatment he had to go through severely hindered his ability to help others.
The huge winger holds the World Cup try-scoring record with Bryan Habana with 15. (ANI)