THE wife of Celtic legend Tommy Burns has died after falling ill on a flight.
Rosemary Burns passed away at the age of 69 after she became seriously unwell on a return journey from Tenerife to Glasgow in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The plane was diverted to Cork, Ireland, and she was rushed to hospital in an ambulance before she tragically died.
Speaking to the Daily Record, a source close to the family said: “Rosemary became unwell while on holiday in Tenerife.
“She decided to end her trip and fly back to Scotland.
“She got on the plane and became unwell.
“The flight was supposed to land in Glasgow but it ended up being diverted to Cork.”
Yesterday we revealed that the Jet2 flight was forced to make a “bumpy” emergency landing after declaring a mid-air alert.
Everyone was really concerned about her and it was obviously very serious by the way the crew were acting.The pilot said we’d be landing imminently and within ten minutes we had landed in Ireland
Jet2 passenger
Flight LS176 departed the Canary Island shortly after 10pm on Tuesday night and was due to land in Glasgow at around 1.45am yesterday.
But Rosemary took unwell at around 1.30am and was given oxygen mid-air while pilots began to divert to Cork.
A passenger on the plane told the Scottish Sun that two passengers with medical training got up to help her as the pilots prepared for landing.
They said: “The flight had only been in the air for about 2 hours when the lights went up and the crew asked if anyone with medical training was on board.
“Staff had already given the lady an oxygen mask to help her breathe.
“Two passengers then came forward and assisted her for the duration of the flight until it diverted to Cork.
“Everyone was really concerned about her and it was obviously very serious by the way the crew were acting.
“The pilot said we’d be landing imminently and within ten minutes we had landed in Ireland, dropping down altitude very quickly.
“An ambulance arrived about five minutes later and paramedics helped her off the plane.”
Everyone at Celtic Football Club is devastated to hear of the passing of Rosemary Burns, wife of Celtic legend Tommy Burns
Celtic FC
They added: “Full credit to the pilot and the crew who did everything to make sure we got home and the lady got the attention she needed.”
Rosemary’s death comes 16 years after the passing of Hoops idol Tommy, who died of skin cancer at the age of 51 on May 15, 2008.
Her husband was beloved across the wider Scottish football spectrum, with Rangers legends Ally McCoist and Walter Smith famously acting as pallbearers at his funeral.
But it was Rosemary, his wife of 28 years, who felt the greatest loss, alongside their four children Emma, Jenna, Michael and Jonathan.
Rosemary was described as being Tommy’s “great devotion” in life by former Celts team-mate Davie Provan.
We would like to pass on our sincerest condolences to the Burns family… May she rest in peace with Tommy by her side
Tribute paid online
The couple met 40 years ago when they were both just 17 years old in the Terminal 1 disco in St Enoch Square, Glasgow.
They then tied the knot when Rosemary was just 23, and she previously told how he was left with a lifetime of wonderful memories with the love of her life after he passed.
She previously said: “Celtic was everything to Thomas. There were three Fs in his life – faith, football and family.
“He lived the dream. He never took anything for granted.
“Celtic was what he loved. He was never out the club. Angie the washing lady used to say to him: ‘Are you still here?’, because she couldn’t get away until he left and he was still wearing his training gear and she couldn’t leave until it was washed.
TOMMY Burns became a Celtic icon with both his incredible talent as a player and his entertaining style of football as a manager.
He worked with the Scotland national team as an assistant coach for Walter Smith, and this was his last job in the game before falling ill.
He achieved legendary status at Parkhead as a player in the seventies and eighties, winning six league titles, five Scottish Cups and one League Cup.
He then moved to Rugby Park in the 1989-90 season and helped the Ayrshire side achieve promotion to the second tier by the end of the campaign.
Burns later became player-manager at Killie and under his watch the club returned to the top flight for the first time in ten years.
He returned to Celtic in 1994 and won the Scottish Cup a year later, with his Hoops team garnering a reputation for playing exciting and attractive football.
“She went off her head with him and told him: ‘Have you no’ got a home to go to?’.”
Celtic lead tributes online as they took to social media to pay their respects to Rosemary and her family.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, the club wrote: “Everyone at Celtic Football Club is devastated to hear of the passing of Rosemary Burns, wife of Celtic legend Tommy Burns.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club, and the entire Celtic Family are with Emma, Jenna, Michael and Jonathan at this desperately sad time.
She was a remarkable woman whose warmth and kindness touched the lives of many Celtic fans
Tribute paid online
Fans have also flocked social media to share their condolences to her family during this difficult time.
A Celtic fan page posted: “We would like to pass on our sincerest condolences to the Burns family after the sad passing of Tommy Burns’ wife Rosemary. May she rest in peace with Tommy by her side.”
Someone else wrote: “My heart goes out to Tommy Burns’ family after his wife passed away after taken ill on a flight from Tenerife, another great lady taken from us, may she rest in peace with Mr Celtic”.
Another added: “It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we extend our sincere condolences to the Burns Family on the passing of Rosemary, the beloved wife of our cherished legend, Tommy Burns. She was a remarkable woman whose warmth and kindness touched the lives of many Celtic fans”.
A fourth shared: “Our condolences to the Burns family as the late great Tommy Burns’ wife Rosemary has passed away. Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time”.
While a fifth said: “RIP Rosemary Burns wife of Celtic legend Tommy Burns, behind every great man there’s a great woman. My thoughts are with the family”.
