Rob Burrow urges people not to “waste a moment” of their lives in his final message

Rugby league legend Rob Burrow urged people not to “waste a moment” of their lives in his final message to the world.

The former Leeds Rhinos player died on Sunday aged 41 after a four-and-a-half-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND), an incurable degenerative condition.

In a pre-recorded message, played as part of the documentary There is only one Rob Burrow on BBC One and iPlayer, the father-of-three urged people to “be brave” and fight any personal battles they may be facing.

His final message was signed “Rob Burrow, over and out”.

Burrow, who started fundraising and campaigning to raise awareness of MND after his diagnosis, said he hoped he had “successfully put his stamp on the disease”.

In a speech delivered with the help of an eye gaze machine that allowed him to communicate by looking at words on a screen, he said: “I hope one day we will find a cure and live in a world without MND.

“By the time you see this, I won’t be here anymore. I’m just a boy from Yorkshire who has achieved his dream of playing rugby league.

“As a father of three young children, I would never want any family to go through what my family has had since my diagnosis.

“I hope I left a mark on the disease. I hope it shows that I live in the moment.

“I hope you find inspiration in the whole story. My final message to you is any personal battle, be brave and face it.

“Every day is precious. Don’t waste a moment. In a world full of adversity we must still dare to dream.

“Rob Burrow, over and out.”

In a tribute released earlier Monday, his wife Lindsey Burrow described him as “loving, kind and caring” and vowed to keep his legacy alive.

“I am incredibly proud of the campaign he has done to raise awareness and the millions of pounds that have been raised in his name for MND charities,” she said.

In Leeds, the opening of the Rob Burrow Center for MND at Seacroft Hospital went ahead as planned at Burrow’s request, with his family saying he would “look down and smile”.

The ceremony was attended by Burrow’s close friend and former teammate Kevin Sinfield, along with Burrow’s parents Geoff and Irene Burrow and his sisters Joanne Hartshorn and Claire Burnett.

Burrow spent his entire rugby league career with Leeds Rhinos and helped them win eight Super League titles.

Two years after his retirement in 2017, Burrow revealed his MND diagnosis.

He was made an MBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honors list for his services to rugby league and the MND community and was promoted to a CBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours.

Additional reporting by PA