Noel has shared some touching words about his pal during an appearance on talkSPORT Drive on Thursday afternoon.
"We were texting each other last week," said Noel. "I saw him at Heaton Park a couple of times that night, and he was on standard Ricky form.We don't know what has happened, but he did struggle with mental health, and it just shows you that you never really know. It is such a shame because he is a great Mancunian, and a lovely, lovely lad; he was one of us. We did a tour of South America, and he came along with all his mates for the week, and it was like he was part of the band for a week. It is a real shame for his family and his kids, and his grandkids. I was really gobsmacked by it. But he had an amazing career, and the night Liam and I carried his belts out in Vegas was one of the funniest nights ever. It was an honour for us to do that, but it was a funny night with him. It's sad we will never see him at the Etihad again."
Asked how the opportunity to walk Hatton out at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas came about, Noel said: "We were up at City and he said he was fighting in Vegas and he asked us straight up, 'Will you carry the belts out? And then of course me and our kid had an argument about who carried the belts for about four weeks. I remember him as a funny lad. We had a funny night out around the clubs after that. That image of him as a wise-cracking lad, that was him. And he will be sorely missed; he was such a humble, lovely guy."
Noel Gallagher pays tribute to Ricky Hatton & recalls the night him and Liam Gallagher held his belts in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/E1ut8HWBNk
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