Timeline Wednesday 18 November 2015

Events on Wednesday 18 November 2015 3

• 1975 – 2015 Jonah Lomu The winger who turned rugby into a global spectacle Jonah Tali Lomu was a New Zealand rugby union winger widely credited as the sport's first global superstar. Combining a 120kg frame with sprinter-level speed, he redefined what a back-line player could be and forced the laws and tactics of the game to adapt around him. His explosive performances at the 1995 Rugby World Cup arrived just as rugby turned professional, and the two events together are often cited as the moment the sport became a worldwide commercial product. Off the field he battled a serious kidney disorder for two decades, undergoing a transplant in 2004 before dying suddenly in 2015 at age 40.
• 2015 Sudden death in Auckland Jonah Lomu dies at 40 from a condition linked to his long kidney illness Jonah Lomu died suddenly at his home in Auckland on 18 November 2015 at the age of 40, shortly after returning from a promotional trip to the United Kingdom tied to the Rugby World Cup. His death was attributed to a cardiac event linked to his long-term kidney disease. Tributes poured in from across the rugby world, and his funeral at Eden Park drew thousands of mourners along with tributes from heads of state and sporting figures worldwide.
• 2015 Willie Nelson receives the Gershwin Prize Library of Congress For popular song.