Wife speaks of "devastating loss" following death of rugby legend Jonah Lomu

Jonah Lomu's wife Nadene Lomu has spoken of her "devastating loss" after the New Zealand rugby legend died at the age of 40 on Tuesday night.

The former All Blacks player, who had been battling a kidney problem for many years, passed away in Auckland, the day he returned from a family holiday in Dubai.

Lomu and Nadene are parents to young sons Brayley, six, and five-year-old Dhyreille.

Nadene released a statement via Facebook, which read: "It is with great sadness that I must announce my dear husband Jonah Lomu died last night.

"As you can imagine this is a devastating loss for our family and may I ask that our privacy, especially the privacy of our two very young boys, be respected as we take them through this traumatic time. "

Lomu played in 63 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 43 international tries.