Shawn Burr Dies At 47 After Fall, Leukemia

Shawn Burr, former Detroit Red Wings player, has died at the age of 47.

Since 2011, Shawn Burr had been battling leukemia, but his cause of death was not strictly cancer related.

According to CBS, Burr fell down a flight of stairs at home and suffered a brain injury, from which he was unable to recover:

“Shawn Burr, a former first-round draft pick and fan favorite in Detroit, died on Monday night at the age of 47… Burr, who had been battling Leukemia going back to 2011, fell down the stairs at his home on Monday evening. He suffered a massive brain trauma and later on Monday he was removed from life support.”

As news of Shawn Burr’s death was reported, former Red Wings teammates recalled a fun and personable player with whom they enjoyed playing alongside.

Chris Osgood, a goalie, commented of Burr:

“He was a funny guy, a nonstop talker, always had a trick to play. My first game as a rookie, he put my name upside down on my jersey. He was the guy in the ’90s who kept everybody else relaxed. He did the dirty work for the team on the ice and then kept the guys relaxed in the dressing room.”

Writer Keith Gave knew Burr as a teen and also covered the Red Wings for the Detroit Free Press in the 80s.

Gave said:

“And when Burr hit you — putting to good use the extra padding he carried around — you stayed hit. ‘Hey, I’ve got washboard abs,’ Burr often said. ‘Problem is I’ve got 15 pounds of dirty laundry on ’em.’ ”

Kris Draper said:

“It’s a big loss for the hockey community. The sad thing is we all know he was sick and he was battling cancer. From the sounds of it, it was something that wasn’t related to the cancer that he was fighting.”

Shawn Burr is survived by wife Amanda and daughters Madison and Mason.