Rebecca Johnstone's brief conversation with her football idol provided joy in the midst of a difficult battle with melanoma that ended with her death here Monday at age 19.

"His thoughts are with the family at this time," Beckham spokesman Simon Oliveira told the newspaper.

Oliveira said Beckham had been made aware of her death shortly after her passing.

In the days since Beckham's call, Johnstone's tale had inspired worldwide interest. Calls and e-mails on how to donate to her cause came from Scotland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and other lands.

"I think it's understandable that there would be a lot of interest," said Bill Johnstone, her cousin. "But the amount of interest was unbelievable."

"It was something that was a lot larger than what anyone thought could happen."

Beckham's gesture touched the heart of the determined teen and the emotional story of her courage prompted sympathy and generosity from around the globe as people reached out to offer support.

Major League Soccer, where Beckham signed a deal worth 250 million dollars to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy starting in July, called to see what they might do. Their new club in Toronto offered support.

Yale University's football team sent a pennant and autographed T-shirt.

While Beckham has been sidelined by Real Madrid, he has been busy filming television commercials.

One for Disney with Beckham on horseback begins airing in March while another for American football's National Football League Network will be shown during Sunday's Super Bowl telecast.