Crowds line the streets as family, friends and teammates gather for funeral of rugby league legend Rob Burrow
7 July 2024, 13:39 | Updated: 7 July 2024, 14:48
Family, friends and teammates of former rugby league player Rob Burrow gathered together for his funeral on Sunday, after his death aged 41 last month.
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Well-wishers lined the streets ahead of the funeral, which comes after Burrow's death aged 41 on June 2 after a five-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND).
His best friend Kevin Sinfield and other former Leeds Rhinos teammates were seen arriving at Pontefract crematorium in West Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon.
A hearse with a floral tribute reading 'Bro' and 'Son' passed through the streets down to the crematorium.
His former doctor Agam Jung paid tribute to him, telling LBC: "We spoke a lot about positivity, we spoke about living in the now... he sort of just epitomised it all - he just knew how to live in the moment."
One rugby league fan, Anthony, said he had come to thank Mr Burrow for his career, and for drawing attention to MND as a campaigner.
He added: I'm just here to say, 'thank you Rob', for giving me great entertainment. It's really sad that, you know, a young man with a young family should go through this and we're still here, unfortunately, today. So I just want to show my respects and just say thank you."
After he died, Mr Burrow released a final message to the world.
He said in the message: "I want to live in a world free of MND. By the time you watch this I will no longer be here. I'm just a lad from Yorkshire who got to live out his dream of playing rugby league."
Now his wife Lindsey has revealed the star also left some private messages for his family to be shared after his death using a machine that tracks eye movements to turn them into text.
“I know Rob has left messages on there for the children. At the minute it’s too raw to go and look through the machine but there are birthday messages on there, there are messages for the future,” she said.
She also said: “Despite the grief and despite the sadness, we have so much to be thankful for, for having Rob in our lives.
“He made the world a better place to be.”
His wife Lindsey said in a separate tribute after his death: "Although we knew this day would arrive, I am somehow still feeling at a loss for words that our loving, kind, caring husband and father has departed.
"I was incredibly proud and fortunate to call Rob my husband. I am unbelievably proud of the campaigning he's done to raise awareness and the millions of pounds that have been raised in his name for MND charities.
"I would like to thank the Rugby League community and everyone for their outpouring of love and support since Rob's diagnosis. I truly appreciate every message of support, and fundraising that has been done.
"My priority is to make Rob proud, and to bring our three children up as Rob would want and ensure their happiness and wellbeing.
"We will continue to keep Rob's legacy alive. We will continue to 'bang the drum' and do our best to try and help others. We take comfort from how much people's love and continued support meant to Rob through his most vulnerable times.
"He was simply the best."
