Born on Sep. 26, 1982, in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, Rob Burrow was an English professional rugby league player. He played as a scrum-half or hooker for the Leeds Rhinos, with whom he spent his entire career and made 492 appearances. Burrow’s talent also saw him represent the Yorkshire, England, and Great Britain teams.
Tragically, on June 2, 2024, Burrows passed away at the young age of 41. So what happened to bring his life to such a sad early end?
How did Rob Burrow die?
As per BBC Sport, Burrow revealed he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) on Dec. 19, 2019. He passed away at Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, from complications of the condition, having battled bravely with the disease until the end.
Tributes flooded in for the much-loved Burrow, and Leeds Rhinos’ stadium was awash with flowers, jerseys, and other paraphernalia as a mark of respect for him.
Motor neurone disease is a rare neurodegenerative and muscle-wasting disorder that selectively affects motor neurons, the cells that control the body’s voluntary muscles.
The MND Association has identified that there’s a link between sports — especially high-impact sports like rugby — and the awful disease. A fellow British rugby player — Scottish rugby union star Doddie Weir — died from it less than two years earlier. It’s resulted in a lot of research to safeguard players from its dangers.
Burrow is survived by his wife, Lindsey, their two daughters, Macy and Maya, and their son, Jackson. Lindsey wrote a book about her experiences caring for her husband — some links to purchase it can be found in the X post embedded above.
Rob Burrow, RIP, sir.