Rugby League Legend Rob Burrow Dies Aged 41

Rob Burrow in an undated file photo. (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Former Great Britain rugby league star and motor neurone disease (MND) charity patron Rob Burrow has died.

Mr. Burrow, 41, lost his four-and-a-half-year battle with MND on Sunday.

The English scrum-half played 17 seasons with Leeds Rhinos, helping them win eight Super League titles, two Challenge Cup trophies, and three World Club Challenges.

“Rob inspired the entire country with his brave battle against MND since his diagnosis in December, 2019. He passed away peacefully at Pinderfields Hospital near his home surrounded by his loving family after becoming ill earlier this week,” the Leeds Rhinos said in a statement on Sunday.

Mr. Burrow was diagnosed with MND two years after announcing his retirement in 2017.

After his diagnosis Mr. Burrow used every opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the MND Association.

Mr. Burrow, along with his good friend and former Leeds teammate Kevin Sinfield, raised more than £20 million for MND which has been used in both care and the fight to find a cure for the progressive neurological disease which affects the nerves that control muscle movement. This includes raising nearly £6 million to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND in Leeds, which began construction on Monday, just a day after his death.

In a statement on Monday, Esther Wakeman, CEO of Leeds Hospitals Charity said, “Thanks to Rob’s dedication and support, we have now raised £5.8 million to help bring Rob’s dream to life, a specialist centre for people living in MND and their families.”

“We’re honoured that we can continue to pay tribute to Rob and the everlasting impact he has had though the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust,” Ms. Wakeman added.

In 2021, Mr. Burrow was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for his contribution to rugby league and raising awareness for MND. He was subsequently awarded a CBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list for his ongoing efforts.

‘I Will Miss You My Little Mate’

The Prince and Princess of Wales paid tribute to the “legend of rugby league” and his family on social media platform X. “Rob Burrow had a huge heart,” they said. “In a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream,” they added.

His best friend, Mr. Sinfield, who has been awarded an OBE, MBE, and CBE for contributions to rugby league and MND, posted in a heartfelt statement on Sunday: “Today was the day that I hoped would never come.

“The world has lost a great man and a wonderful friend to so, so many.

“You fought so bravely until the end and became a breach of hope and inspiration, not only for the MND community but for all those who saw and heard your story.

“The last four and a half years, you showed the world what living and loving looked like and this was always done with the biggest smile on your face.”

“I will miss you my little mate,” Mr. Sinfield said.

Rob Burrow is made a CBE by the prince of Wales, with Kevin Sinfield and Lindsey Burrow and children Maya (left) and Macy, in January 2024. (Phil Noble/PA)

Mr. Burrow leaves behind his wife Lindsey and three children Macy, Maya, and Jackson. The Burrow family opened their doors to raise awareness of the reality of living with the debilitating disease.

“Rob … lived with this brutal disease in the public eye,” said the MND Association in a statement on Sunday.

“He used every opportunity to raise awareness of the disease, speaking publicly, undertaking media interviews and opening his life up in two moving BBC documentaries, My Year with MND and Rob Burrow: Living with MND.

“He remained a consistent and passionate advocate for people with MND – he became the first person to use a communications aid to read a bedtime story on CBeebies. And he joined the United to End MND coalition which successfully campaigned for a £50million Government investment in targeted MND research,” said the association.

Rare Condition

Up to 5,000 adults in the UK are believed to be living with the disease, according to the MND Association. Currently there is no cure for the condition, but there are treatments available to help reduce the impact it has on a person’s daily life.

According to the NHS, MND is a rare and progressive neurological condition that significantly shortens life expectancy and eventually leads to death.

In November last year, former Scottish rugby union player George “Doddie” Weir also died with motor neurone disease. Mr. Weir was diagnosed with MND in 2017, around the same time as Mr. Burrow. He also spent his final years raising awareness and campaigning on behalf of people with the disease, setting up his own foundation, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, with a vision to free the world of MND.

In December 2020, legal action was initiated against the Rugby Football Union, the Welsh Rugby Union and World Rugby—a case which has now turned into a class action of about 300 former players—all of whom are seeking damages for brain related injuries.

A recent University of Glasgow study found that former international rugby players were two-and-a-half times more at risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease and up to 15 times more likely to develop an MND diagnosis.

The 2022 paper, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, compared the health outcomes of 412 Scottish male former internationals and over 1,200 matched individuals from the general population.

Willie Stewart, honorary professor at the University of Glasgow, said in a statement: “Taking these new results in rugby, together with our pathology work and previous FIELD studies in football, the risk exposure of concern must remain repetitive head impacts and head injuries. As such, precautionary approaches should be adopted to reduce unnecessary head impacts and better manage head injuries across all contact sports.”