Rob Rinder announces his father has died at 73 as he shares cause of death in heartbreaking statement
Rob Rinder, the criminal barrister and television personality, has revealed that his father David Rinder passed away on Wednesday at the age of 73 following a battle with Lewy body dementia.
The 48-year-old shared the news in an emotional Instagram post this morning, explaining his decision to make the announcement publicly in the hope of drawing attention to a condition he believes is widely misunderstood.
“My dad died yesterday aged 73. I wasn’t sure whether to share this but if it brings attention to an illness too few people understand, perhaps it belongs here,” he wrote.
David’s diagnosis had prompted his son to take on a role as patron and advocate for the Lewy Body Society, through which he has campaigned to improve understanding of the disease.
Rob Rinder has announced the death of his father
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GETTYThe condition affects an estimated 125,000 people across the UK but remains significantly under-researched.
David spent more than four decades behind the wheel of a London black cab and was a devoted Tottenham Hotspur fan who never missed a football match involving his brothers or grandsons.
Rob reflected candidly on a relationship shaped by distance and difference, noting that his parents’ divorce meant he did not grow up with his father in the household.
“We were very different men. I loved opera and all its drama; he loved Tottenham and cigarettes. We both took people as we found them and we both loved women, though in rather different ways,” he said.
Rob Rinder is a familiar face on British TV
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PA
In a lighter moment, Rob recalled once acting as his father’s legal representative at the Carriage Office over a driving matter, joking: “I loved him but the prosecution had a case.”
He also spoke warmly of his father’s unconditional support. “When I came out he responded with magnificent indifference: I was still his son, there was nothing else to discuss.”
During the final period of his life, David was looked after at Jewish Care, which Rob described as a place where “dignity and tenderness were practised every day.” He paid particular tribute to carers named Walid and Tosin, who he said “came to kiss him goodbye” alongside many other staff members.
“A Jewish man, held in his final days by people of different faiths: a quiet reminder that what is sacred in us is also what we share,” he wrote.
David died surrounded by his loved ones. Rob described his father as “funny, beautifully flawed, loving and my dad.”
He wrote movingly about the cruelty of the disease, saying: “Lewy body dementia took him far too young. It made the familiar strange and the certain uncertain. Dementia can obscure a person but it does not erase them.”
Rob urged the public to familiarise themselves with the symptoms of Lewy body dementia, pointing out that at least one in every 10 dementia patients has the condition. “Please learn its name, learn its signs and if you can support the work to change that,” he wrote.
Within moments of sharing the tragic news, friends, fans, and famous faces flocked to the Instagram post to share their condolences.
Rob Rinder hoped to spread awareness of the illness that ended his father’s life
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PA
Comedian and Celebrity Traitors star Alan Carr replied: “So sorry Rob,” followed by a love-heart emoji.
Presenter Angela Scanlon echoed: “I’m so sorry Rob. What a beautiful picture you paint of him xx.”
“So sorry. Sending love Rob. Xxx,” celebrity chef Matt Tebbutt wrote, while former Strictly pro Luba Mushtuk commented: “Sending all my love so sorry.”
EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman concurred: “oH Rob sending love and wish you all Long Life x.”
And Daisy Lowe weighed in: “Oh dearest Rob I am so sorry for your loss sending you all my love and the biggest hug.” (sic)
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