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Edinburgh Hearts fans are paying tributes to eight-year-old schoolboy Rudi Abbot, who tragically died last week to cancer. The youngster was known to be a huge fan of the club and followed football with his father, Ben Abbot.

In the summer of 2020 Rudi was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive grade four brain tumour known as pineoblastoma. For three years he had undergone gruelling treatment, extensive and extremely complex brain surgeries and travelled across to Germany for medical care.

After reaching the end of the road for treatment in the UK, Rudi’s family organised a fundraiser that raised over £110,000. This enabled them to travel to Seattle in the US to undergo a last resort medical trial. Whilse the trial went ahead, Rudi did not respond to the treatment and became a terminal case in late 2022.

Rudi Abbot died from a rare brain tumour at age eight

The family announced the young boy’s death via social media on January 6, where thousands of tributes flooded in to pay their respects to the “wee warrior”.

Since Rudi was a Hearts-daft fan for the entirety of his life, local supporters will pay to him at the club's game with St Mirren. Set to honour the youngsters “courageous and joyous journey through life”, a minute's applause has been organised for the eighth minute of the game, which will be played at Tynecastle.

The game is expected to start at 7:45pm on Friday, January 13. In an online response to the plans organised by the club, Rudi’s family said they thought it was a “great idea” and that “Rudi would be chuffed”.

Edinburgh Hearts fans plan a heartfelt tribute to honour the life of Rudi Abbot

Father of five with terminal cancer raising money for East Lothian foodbank