Peyton Manning honors late former Broncos teammate Ronnie Hillman

Peyton Manning is mourning the death of his former teammate Ronnie Hillman.

Hillman, who played with Manning on the Broncos, died at the age of 31 this week after a battle with liver cancer, his family announced.

“Rest in peace Ronnie,” Manning wrote on Instagram. “We joined the Broncos the same year. Honored to be your teammate for four years in Denver. Great player, great person, great smile. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

The Broncos organization also paid tribute to Hillman.

“A key contributor to the winningest four-year period in franchise history, Ronnie was part of two Super Bowl teams and led the Broncos in rushing during our Super Bowl 50 championship season,” the Broncos said in a statement. “Soft-spoken with a warm smile and quiet intensity, Ronnie was drafted by the Broncos in 2012 and grew into a dynamic player and well-respected teammate. He will be fondly remembered by our organization, which extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the Hillman family during this difficult time.”

In his best season, 2015, he rushed for 863 yards and seven touchdowns on 4.2 yards per carry. He also caught 24 balls for 111 yards on the year. That season, the Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50.

Hillman also appeared in games for the Vikings and Chargers in 2016.

He also worked out at the training facility of Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer, who remembered the late running back.

“Man I love this dude Ronnie Hillman and will miss him forever,” Glazer tweeted. :He was one of our first ever players we trained at unbreakable performance and we trained together for yearssss. He was as loyal as they come, took my son under his wing…. Even though he was quiet he lit the room up.”