A TALENTED young musician and sportsman this week died at the age of 14 after a losing his battle with cancer.

Popular Simon Hale, a Marling School pupil, had been bravely fighting his way back to health after a tumour was diagnosed in his neck last autumn.

He died in the early hours of Thursday morning and his parents Steve and Lesley and brother and sister Ben and Naomi have been struggling to come to terms with their loss at their Burleigh home.

They spoke on Monday with sadness and love of the little boy with the big heart whose enormous sense of humour was always guaranteed to make them laugh.

"He was very gentle and kind and truly generous to a fault," said Steve.

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