Jonah Lomu

Pacific communities mourn Jonah Lomu

Lomu, 40, died suddenly on November 18, prompting a huge outpouring of messages from around the world for the former All Black.

Lomu's wife Nadene and two sons greeted his casket when it arrived, and his mother Hepi is there.
The `Aho Faka Famili, or day of the family, event at the Vodafone Events Centre in south Auckland is an opportunity for communities from the Pacific to honour Lomu.

Many of the thousands of people wore bright Pasifika shirts, black skirts and traditional dress.

Long haul flight may have led to Jonah Lomu's death

Former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew told the BBC that Lomu would have felt little pain when he died suddenly last week.

Mayhew spoke to BBC Five Live last night and said: "He returned from the UK via Dubai and appeared to be in good health before he died."

"We think the most likely cause was a clot on the lung which can be a complication of long distance travel. Jonah was at greater risk of that happening because of his renal condition."

Jonah Lomu remembered at Mangere service

In the church he used to go to as boy, the Lotofale'ia Methodist Church in Mangere, 40 candles were lit on a table at the front to represent each of the years of the rugby great's life. Jonah Lomu died suddenly last week after suffering for many years from a chronic and serious kidney disorder.

Music filled the church during yesterday's three hour service, from traditional Tongan and modern singing and a brass band, and people came to tell stories about "their son".

Huge crowd expected at memorial service for Jonah Lomu

The memorial service at the Lotofalei'a Tongan Methodist Church in Mangere is the first public event for the rugby legend since he died on Wednesday, aged 40.

Jonah Lomu: New Zealand rugby union great dies aged 40

Lomu, who scored 43 tries and played 63 Tests for New Zealand between 1994 and 2002, was diagnosed with a serious kidney condition while still playing.

It forced him to quit the game and he had a kidney transplant in 2004, but it stopped functioning in 2011.