Rafa Nadal And Other Celebrities Pay Tribute To The Late Cricketer Phillip Hughes [TWEETS]

The sudden and tragic death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes shocked the world on Thanksgiving morning. The freak accident occurred while Hughes was playing the “gentleman’s game,” otherwise known as cricket. Since Hughes death, many celebrities have reached out to Hughes and his family to pay their respects and help mourn the fallen athlete.

Hughes was struck in the head by international teammate, Sean Abbot, known in the sport as the bowler. Abbot, accidentally struck Hughes just below the left ear with the ball and Hughes immediately collapsed face first to the ground. The 25-year-old was irushed to the hospital and operated on to fix a “dissected vertebral artery,” but ultimately he succumbed to his injuries and died early Thursday morning

“We are devastated by the loss of our much loved son and brother Phillip,” read a statement by the Hughes family. “Cricket was Philip’s life and we as a family shared that love of the game with him.”

In the meantime, Hughes family, the Australian cricket team, the cricket community around the world, and people from across the globe are mourning the loss of Hughes. Prominent celebrities and athletes have poured in with their condolences over Twitter and those in the cricket community have been asked to take pictures of cricket bats propped up alone and use the hashtag #putoutyourbats.

Spanish Tennis star, Rafa Nadal, pays tribute to Hughes via Twitter:

British tennis sensation Andy Murray also paid tribute:

English soccer legend, Gary Lineker, on Hughes death: