A FORMER rugby player died of lung cancer which was probably a result of his smoking, an inquest heard. 

After the hearing yesterday, Charles Spencer Jackson's sister, Patricia McNicol, said he is "deeply missed". 

The 69-year-old died on July 24 in Furness General Hospital after doctors initiated end-of-life care. 

He died of pneumonia caused by the lung cancer which had spread. 

He was a smoker but had stopped the habit in the past 10 years. 

The inquest in Barrow Town Hall was told Mr Jackson was born in Barrow and started his career in 1962 in the shipyard as an apprentice where he worked as a fitter until 1969. 

He played at Vickers RU – now Hawcoat Park – where former players were saddened to hear of his death in the summer. 

Former player Colin High wrote in a tribute that Mr Jackson was "as good a fly-half as any who pulled on Vickers’ traditional maroon and white during the 60s".

In the same tribute, his half-back partner on many occasions, Jack Charnley, said: “Make a break and you could always rely upon Charlie steaming up alongside to finish it off.”

The inquest heard a statement from his son, Lee Scott Jackson, a hotel general manager in Nebraska, USA, which said that after leaving the shipyard, his dad took the family to Zambia in Africa in 1970 where he worked as a field service engineer. 

He moved back to England in 1978 and lived in Dunstable. 

After working other jobs including running a grocery store for 10 years and working in sales, he returned to Barrow 18 months ago and lived in Devonshire Road. 

His late wife Marie Anne died four years ago. 

Mr Robert Chapman, assistant Cumbria coroner, concluded a death of natural causes. 

He said: All the evidence indicates that the lung cancer he died from was probably related to his smoking. It was not related to asbestos exposure. 

"There's never any certainty with these things - the only way you can get that is from a post-mortem, but that wasn't necessary in your brother's case. 

"So it does appear likely that it's related to smoking, though maybe other things as well. Primarily, you find that you get lung cancer from smoking."