Rob Burrow, a rugby league legend and campaigner for people with motor neurone disease, was given a final farewell by hundreds of mourners who lined the streets. Burrow passed away at the age of 41 after spending his last years raising awareness and millions of pounds for research into the degenerative condition. The funeral was held in a private service at Pontefract Crematorium and attended by 161 invited guests, including his closest friend and fellow MND fundraiser Kevin Sinfield, who travelled from New Zealand to join.
Although the service was by invitation only, the public was encouraged to line the route of Burrow’s final journey. People from different parts of the UK, some wearing rugby shirts bearing Burrow’s name and shirt number seven on the back, gathered on the roads of the funeral procession route to pay their respects. As the hearse carrying his coffin passed by, mourners applauded, and flowers were thrown onto the windscreen.
A lifelong Leeds Rhinos fan named John Germaine said no-one would be remembered in history like Burrow. The 79-year-old who came to pay his respects with his 14-year-old grandson described the rugby league star as a “gentleman and a fine bloke.” Sharron Rooney said she travelled up from London to pay her respects, even though she was not a rugby fan. She stated that Burrow’s story was heart-breaking and wished to support Lindsey and Kevin Sinfield in their grief.
Burrow had a 17-year career that included winning eight Super League Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges, and two Challenge Cups. However, in 2019, two years after his retirement from the sport, he was diagnosed with MND. In less than five years following his diagnosis, he and his friend and former teammate, Kevin Sinfield, raised more than £15m for MND charities. Burrow was given an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours for his services to rugby league and the MND community. He was later promoted to a CBE in the New Year Honours in 2024. He leaves behind his wife Lindsay and their three children. In a poignant final message, which Burrow asked to be shared after his death, he urged people not to “waste a moment” of their lives
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