Tributes paid to rugby legend Rob Burrow
The Prince of Wales has described Rob Burrow as a “legend of rugby league” who had a “huge heart” following his death at the age of 41.
Burrow’s former club Leeds Rhinos announced on Sunday evening that their former scrum-half had died after a four-and-a-half-year battle with motor neurone disease.
Burrow was diagnosed with the incurable illness in December 2019 and immediately launched himself into a campaign to raise awareness of the disease, raising millions in the process alongside former team-mate and close friend Kevin Sinfield.
William, who awarded CBEs to both Burrow and Sinfield for services to MND awareness in January, led the tributes with a statement on his official X account.
He wrote: “A legend of rugby league, Rob Burrow had a huge heart. He taught us ‘in a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream’. Catherine and I send our love to Lindsey, Jackson, Maya and Macy.”
Burrow’s long-time former Leeds team-mate Jamie Peacock wrote on Instagram: “We all knew this day was coming, it was always going to be too soon and none of us wanted to think about it.
“Rob in a sport where courage, bravery and grit are characteristic of every player at the absolute top, you were the most courageous, the bravest and the grittiest of them all.
“And a sense of humour to match, I’ll always remember you holding court in a dressing room having men twice as big cower because of your take no prisoners sense of wit.
“Becoming an inspiration for 1000s and a North Star for the MND community, providing hope where before there was none. Never once complaining about your condition and situation. An inspiration to us all. RIP mate.”