Illness and Death
In 1995, Maddren was diagnosed with the terminal muscle-wasting disease Motor Neurone Disease(MND). He became a campaigner for MND research, raising over £200,000 including £40,000 from his autobiography Extra Time. In 1996, a benefit match was arranged at the Riverside Stadium between Middlesbrough and Internazionale. He was given a standing ovation from over 20,000. A section of the Boro fans sang "Willie Maddren's Red and White Army" which he acknowledged with a wave.
He died on 29 August 2000 at a hospice in Stockton-on-Tees, aged 49.
Just before his death, Maddren commented: 'This is one game I cannot win but I will go down fighting.'
Read more about this topic: Willie Maddren
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