The wife of professional footballer Thomas Buffel has died following a battle with cancer.
Stephanie De Buysser, who is mother to Buffel's three-year-old twin boys, passed away last night aged 39.
The pair, who were long term partners, only married in June last year.
Buffel revealed in December that Stephanie was battling bowel cancer.
Just before Christmas, the midfielder who played for Rangers between 2005 and 2008, said he was hopeful Stephanie would recover.
Buffel said: "We genuinely believe that things will turn out for the best one day."
But today he posted a poignant tribute on Instagram, saying that Stephanie passed away last night, Daily Record reported.
The message in Dutch translates as: "Our beloved princess has left us this night .. there are no words, she still fought to the end, without ever complaining, she was still worried about others!
"We saw her so happy. She has inspired us all, and it is now up to us to carry on her positivity."
In December he said: "When I asked her to marry me she felt much better, and strong enough for our wedding day''.
"I promised Stephanie's father before he died that I would always look after her. I have now repeated that promise for the whole world to hear."
