Ryan Reynolds has paid an emotional tribute to a nine-year-old boy who has died of cancer.

Riley Bains from Hartlepool was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in 2023 and had to have the lower part of his left leg amputated. The young Marvel fan's story came to the Hollywood actor's attention last year when a local charity made an appeal for Riley to meet his Deadpool hero.

His wish later came true after he received a personal video call from Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively. Riley and his family then came face to face with the Wrexham co-owner as they joined him to watch the League One side in action from his executive box in December.

READ MORE: Wrexham's Elliot Lee rushed to hospital following car crash weeks after teammate's accident

READ MORE: Jiffy column: It's clear where Wales went wrong, I don't get what the plan was

Riley's mum, Sarah Kidson, shared a heartfelt tribute to her son after announcing his death on Tuesday. She posted on Facebook: "We will forever be proud of our little warrior. Rest in paradise, gorgeous boy. Love you to the moon and back."

Reynolds also penned his own tribute to Riley, who he said "wasn’t here long enough". He said: "You left a ton of love behind…but you left a bunch of people behind who'll take good care of that love. See ya down the road. Best piggy-back passenger ever."

An appeal was first made by cancer charity Miles for Men for Riley to meet Reynolds. Founder Micky Day previously told the Hartlepool Mail: "He's nine years old and he's been through hell. I think he deserves something to pick him up."

"One of his wishes is to meet the main man, Ryan Reynolds, who does Deadpool. He's an absolutely genuine bloke, even though he’s a film star. Can we make Riley's wish come true?"

Reynolds responded to the plea following a post on X by BBC Radio Tees. Replying to the tweet via his @vancityreynolds account, he said: "Please check your DM."

The pair initially spoke via video call as heart-warming footage showed Reynolds telling the star-struck youngster he was "so excited" to meet him, with Liveley also making a surprise appearance.

Riley's mum, Sarah, told the BBC at the time: "It was incredible that they took so much time out of their busy day to make one little boy feel special." A minute's applause was held in Riley's honour by his hometown team Hartlepool United during their game against Tamworth on Tuesday night.

In November, Reynolds also surprised an eight-year-old boy called Nash by visiting him at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in the US, where he was being treated for a rare form of cancer. He and fellow Wrexham owner McElhenney have given to number of good causes in north Wales since taking over the club in February 2021.