Mike Tindall has announced the death of his father, Phil, who has died aged 79 after a “brutal” 23-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. The former England rugby star, 47, confirmed that his dad passed away last week as he paid an emotional tribute to him on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.
Tribute from Otley Rugby Club
Phil was a former captain of Otley Rugby Club in West Yorkshire, leading the side during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. The club held a minute’s silence for Phil before their match against Chester last weekend, with Mike thanking Otley for the touching tribute.
“Unfortunately, my dad passed away last week,” Mike said. “Big shout-out to Otley Rugby Club. They played Chester on the weekend, and they did a minute’s silence to my dad, who was captain in ’72, ’73.”
Mike said he had been sent footage of the tribute and had also seen a message dedicated to his father in the match programme. “That little moment, I got to watch it,” he added. “Someone recorded it, sent it to me, and then they wrote a little thing in the programme as well, which I read. But thank you very much to Otley Rugby Club for it.”
Memories and diagnosis
Mike also recalled one of his father's more colourful rugby memories, revealing Phil suffered a badly timed injury shortly before marrying his mother Linda. “He got married in 69, broke his leg the week before, went down the aisle in a cast,” he said. “I mean, it sort of all went wrong. He had to retire at 27.”
Phil was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003, the same year his son helped England win the Rugby World Cup in Australia. The illness subsequently became a major cause for Mike, who has been a patron of Cure Parkinson’s since 2018 and has spent years raising money and awareness in the search for better treatments.
Impact of the disease
Just four months ago, Mike gave a bleak update on his father’s condition. “My dad is not doing great at the moment,” he said in May. “Parkinson’s is brutal and there is no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people.”
Mike said his father had become “a shell of what he once was” after more than two decades living with the disease. His mother Linda, a former social worker, also took on much of Phil’s care as his condition worsened.
Mike has previously spoken about the devastating impact Parkinson’s had on his father’s mobility, with Phil requiring a wheelchair at times and the disease affecting his spine and discs. The former England centre has repeatedly said watching his father’s quality of life decline has strengthened his determination to support research into the disease and help find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
