Tiffany Youngs, the wife of former England and Leicester hooker Tom, has died after suffering from cancer.
Tiffany was diagnosed with a lymphatic cancer in 2014, prompting Tom to step away from England's tour of New Zealand to care for his wife.
Her brother-in-law Ben Youngs similarly opted not to tour with the British and Irish Lions in 2017 to spend time with family.
Leicester said they were "deeply saddened" by the news.
Former Lions hooker Tom retired from rugby in April at the age of 35, having been on indefinite leave since October .
Following his retirement announcement, he gave a speech to his Leicester team-mates before the home game against Bristol.
"I talked about Tiff a little bit," Tom told the Telegraph.
"I talked about life, and how when you're in the moment, in that changing room, you don't realise how good it is and how lucky you are sometimes. Ultimately, you don't realise how cruel life can be sometimes, so you have to enjoy those moments."
Tiffany was told in 2018 that her cancer was in remission before the illness returned.