Gordon Brown today joined those paying tribute to Jane Tomlinson, the charity fundraiser who has died seven years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The prime minister praised the 43-year-old, who took up running after being told she had six months to live.

Tomlinson, from Leeds, died at St Gemma's hospice in the city at 9pm yesterday, her family said.

"She was an inspirational figure to millions of people in this country and all around the world," Mr Brown said.

Tomlinson's feats of endurance, which included cycling across Europe and the US and taking part in Ironman events, raised £1.75m for charity.

She was first diagnosed with cancer in 1990. After seemingly successful treatments, she was told in 2000 she had incurable advanced metastatic breast cancer. The disease spread, and was extensive.

Despite being warned she had just months to live, Tomlinson embarked on a series of challenges thought impossible for someone who was having chemotherapy.

They included a full Ironman event, consisting of a 4km swim, 180km bike ride and full marathon, completed inside 17 hours; two half-Ironmans; the London marathon (three times) and the New York marathon; three London triathlons; and three long-distance bike rides - John O'Groats to Land's End, Rome to Home, and her final challenge, a 4,214-mile ride across the US.

"We are, as a family, heartbroken at this loss, but we know this extends to all her family and friends," her husband, Mike, and children, Suzanne, Rebecca and Steven, said today. "Jane has always said her family has been the greatest joy in life, and we feel honoured to have been blessed with such a wonderful person.

"The weight of this burden has been immense on all of us, but primarily Jane. We hope that she is now at peace from the pain that has accompanied her for so long."

Tomlinson received a CBE for her work in June this year, twice was recognised in the Sportswoman of the Year awards and in 2003 was voted the most inspirational woman in Britain.

"Jane was, is and shall continue to be an inspiration. She exemplified qualities of the human spirit that most people can only aspire to," said Ryan Bowd and Martyn Hollingworth, who accompanied her on the ride across America.

"She demonstrated that being diagnosed terminally ill is not a death sentence and that existing dreams and goals should not be abandoned or in her case new ones not forged."

The bishop of Leeds described Tomlinson's battle with cancer as "Olympian" and praised her for her courage and altruism.

"She was a bright beam of light in the midst of a darkness that can so often accompany terminal illness," the Rt Rev Arthur Roche said.

"She fought a very brave fight, of Olympian proportions, right to the end of her earthly life and has left us a legacy of courage when faced with difficulty; of striving for others despite one's own important needs."

Last year, Tomlinson told the Guardian she was the most reluctant of role models.

"'Cancer sufferer': those two words narrow my life," she said, "as if there's nothing else to my life. Cancer is a bit of my life.

"I'm here six years after I expected to be here. People tell me I'm selfish, that I should sit at home. It's like your life has no validity unless it's for someone else's memory. It's insulting.

"When you're poorly, you can't do the housework, you can't do the cooking, you can't do your job. To say that you should sit in the corner so people can visit you, it's like living your own wake. It makes me a bit angry."

Alex Markham, a molecular scientist at the University of Leeds and former chief executive of Cancer Research UK, told the BBC that Tomlinson had been an inspiration for cancer fundraisers.

"We have lost a real ally today," he said.

Maureen Rutter, regional director for Macmillan Cancer Support in the north, said Tomlinson's "amazing feats" inspired many people living with cancer.

"She refused to lie down and be beaten; this small and very humble woman was a real powerhouse and I think she will always be remembered for her courage, conviction and sheer determination when faced with adversity," she said.

Earlier this year, Tomlinson wrote in the Guardian about the "real buzz" she got from embarking on each of her adventures.

Among the charities that have benefited from her achievements are Sparks, dedicated to medical research into conditions affecting babies and young children; Macmillan Cancer Support; and Martin House Children's Hospice, which provides care and support to families of children with short life expectancies.

Tomlinson raised money for paediatric acute services at Leeds teaching hospital NHS trust, where she became a radiographer; Bluebell Wood children's hospice in Doncaster; and the US-based Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, which encourages young scientists to research cancer treatments.