The wife and children of rugby league legend Rob Burrow have laid flowers at Headingley Stadium where many other people have also been paying their respects.

Lindsey Burrow, along with Macy, Maya and Jackson, also read some of the tributes that have been left at the home of Leeds Rhinos.

On Monday, in her own tribute, his wife said he was “simply the best” and was “loving, kind and caring”.

Burrow, 41, died on Sunday four and half years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

He had spent his whole rugby league career with the Rhinos, helping them to win eight Super League titles.

Two years after his retirement in 2017, Burrow revealed he had been diagnosed with MND and began fundraising and campaigning to raise awareness of the disease and to improve care and research.

He spearheaded a £6.8m charity appeal for Leeds Hospitals Charity, where he received care, for a purpose-built care centre for those with MND living in and around the city.

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In a statement, Lindsey Burrow said of her husband’s 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.”

She added: “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.”

Also on Monday, a ceremony to mark the breaking of the ground of the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Leeds’ Seacroft Hospital went ahead as planned at Burrow’s request, with his family saying he “would be looking down and smiling”.

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

The family said Burrow would have wanted them to be there as construction work started on the state-of-the-art purpose-built care centre.

Burrow’s rugby league legacy will be the focal point of Saturday’s Challenge Cup final day at Wembley with a series of tributes lined up in his honour.

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A minute’s silence will be staged before both the men’s and women’s finals while a minute’s applause will also take place in the seventh minute of each match – Burrow wore the number seven shirt for Leeds – as well as the schools and 1895 cup finals.

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

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