The Weirs became the biggest lottery winners in UK history when they claimed their huge jackpot in July 2011. Catapulted into the top 500 of the Sunday Times Rich List, they said they decided to go public because it would have been too difficult to keep their wealth a secret.
Instead, they used their publicity to set up the Weir Charitable Trust in 2013, donating to worthy projects all over Scotland.
They invested heavily in Partick Thistle Football Club and Colin became the majority shareholder earlier this year. He had planned to pass ownership of the club to a fans group by March 2020, while the youth set-up was rebranded the Thistle Weir Youth Academy and a stand at the Firhill Stadium was named after Colin.
A minute’s applause was held ahead of Partick’s match against Greenock Morton on Saturday in honour of Colin, with players also wearing black armbands. The club tweeted: “On behalf of everyone at Partick Thistle, our love, thoughts and prayers are with the family and close friends of Colin at this most difficult time."
‘Lost A True Friend’
The Weirs were also passionate supporters of Scotish independence and made a £1 million donation to the independence campaign ahead of the 2014 referendum, along with several subsequent donations.
Scottish National Party leader Sturgeon said over the weekend that she was "incredibly sad" to hear of Colin’s death. She added: “Colin's determination and generosity in the cause of Scottish independence cannot be overstated and was hugely appreciated. The SNP and the independence movement has lost a true friend today and we will miss him dearly.”
Colin and Chris announced earlier this year that they were to divorce after 38 years of marriage. Their record for the biggest lottery win in the UK was broken when an anonymous player banked a £170 million EuroMillions jackpot in October.
Colin, who worked as a television cameraman before he focused on his charity work, is survived by his two adult children Carly and Jamie.