Mike Tindall's Father Phil Dies at 80 After Parkinson's Battle Mike Tindall's father Phil has died at 80 after a two-decade battle with Parkinson's disease. The rugby star paid tribute to his father and Otley Rugby Club. Phil Tindall, the father of former England rugby star Mike Tindall, has died at the age of 80 after a two-decade-long battle with Parkinson's disease. Mike Tindall, 47, who is married to Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall, 45, announced that his father passed away last week. He shared the news on his The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast on Wednesday, saying that his dad passed away last week.Phil Tindall's Rugby LegacyPhil Tindall was a talented rugby player with strong links to Otley, the Yorkshire town where Mike was born. He made his first-team debut at just 17 during the 1963-64 season, playing at fly-half and centre, before captaining the side in 1972-73.Mike thanked Otley Rugby Club after players marked Phil's death with a special tribute. He said that Otley played Chester on the weekend and held a minute's silence for his dad, who was captain in 1972 and 1973.Mike revealed he had been sent footage of the tribute and had also read words about his father printed in the match programme. He added that he watched the moment someone recorded and sent to him, and that they wrote a little thing in the programme as well, which he read, and thanked Otley Rugby Club very much for it.Mike also shared a memory from his father's younger years, revealing that Phil suffered a badly timed injury shortly before marrying his mother Linda. He said that Phil got married in 1969, broke his leg the week before, and went down the aisle in a cast, adding that it all went wrong and he had to retire at 27.Parkinson's Disease BattlePhil had lived with Parkinson's for more than two decades after being diagnosed in 2003, the same year his son helped England win the Rugby World Cup. The illness became a major cause for Mike, who has been a patron of Cure Parkinson's since 2018 and has repeatedly raised money and awareness for research into the condition.Only four months ago, Mike gave a bleak update on his father's health, saying Parkinson's had taken a devastating toll. In May, he said that his dad was not doing great at the moment and that Parkinson's is brutal and there is no let-up from how it attacks the body and changes people.He said that after more than 23 years with the condition, Phil had been left a shell of what he once was. Mike said at the time that seeing his father's quality of life decline was why he was so determined to support efforts to find better treatments and ultimately a cure.His mother Linda, a former social worker, had also taken on much of Phil's care as his condition worsened. Mike previously spoke about the impact Parkinson's had on the family during a conversation with the Duchess of Gloucester in 2021.He said the decline in his father's health had become particularly marked around the time of his 2011 wedding to Zara, when Phil needed a wheelchair for parts of the day. Mike explained problems caused by the condition had affected his father's spine and discs and had made moving around increasingly difficult.He also described Linda as a devoted carer who was reluctant to leave her husband alone as his needs increased.Fundraising Efforts for Cure Parkinson'sMike's personal experience of the disease has since driven years of fundraising. Cure Parkinson's says he has supported the charity through events including his annual Celebrity Golf Classic as well as cycling and running challenges.At this year's golf event in May, which Zara attended on her birthday, Mike again spoke about why the charity's work remained so personal to him.Phil's death comes after a lifetime in which rugby remained a strong bond between him and his son. Mike has previously credited his father's knowledge of the sport with helping him during a career which ultimately saw him lift the World Cup with England in 2003.Mike Tindall with his parents Phil and Linda at The Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire in August 2009. Princess Anne and Phil Tindall are seen at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall in July 2011. Mike and Zara Tindall are seen at the Handa Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic held at the Belfry in the West Midlands.