Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael has died at the age of 67 following a heartbreaking battle with ALS.
McMichael passed away Wednesday evening surrounded by loved ones, according to Jarrett Payton, who was with him in his final moments.
‘With deep sorrow, I share that Steve McMichael passed at 5:28 PM after a brave fight with #ALS, surrounded by loved ones. I’m grateful to have been with him in his final moments. Please keep Steve and his family your prayers,’ Payton, the former NFL running back and son of Walter Payton wrote on X.
ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, impacts the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.
McMichael is loved throughout the city for his key role in the 1985 Super Bowl-winning team. He played for the Bears for 13 seasons and holds a club record for 191 consecutive games played.
His death came just five hours after it had been reported that he would be entering hospice care.
Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael has died at the age of 67 following a battle with ALS
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that the Super Bowl winner was in hospice care
Earlier on Wednesday, multiple reports said that McMichael was being removed from a ventilator in ICU and being transferred into a care facility.
‘As of today, Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has recommended to the family to transfer Steve into a Joliet hospice facility this afternoon,’ his wife Misty was quoted as saying by FOX 32 Chicago.
‘He’s been unresponsive for last two weeks and in and out of the hospital. He’s currently in the ICU at Silver Cross.’
Following the news of his deaths, tributes to McMichael flooded in from across the NFL and sporting world.
Former Bears teammate Tom Waddle took to social media to pay his respects, writing: ‘It was an honor to call Steve a teammate. He was a Hall of Fame player. He was tough as nails. He was a kind and caring, gentle giant of a man. One of the all time greats, on so many fronts. RIP Mongo.’
‘The World Just Lost The Incredible Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael!,’ WWE legend Ric Flair said. ‘He Was My Best Friend Through It All! An Amazing Athlete And Human Being! I Have The Fondest Memories Working With Him, And This Is An Extremely Heartbreaking Loss For Me! I Love You Mongo! You Fought One Hell Of A Battle! Rest In Peace My Friend!’
Last August, McMichael entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in emotional scenes as a ceremony was held by his bedside.
Bedridden in the advanced stages of the neurological disease, the two-time All-Pro defensive tackle was the second player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame among seven members of the Class of 2024.
The Hall of Famer bravely went public with his ALS diagnosis four years ago, in 2021
Last year, he entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a ceremony was held by his bedside
McMichael’s wife, Misty, poses with his bust during the 2024 enshrinement ceremony
Surrounded by several of his Chicago Bears teammates and his wife, Misty, at his home in Homer Glen, Illinois, McMichael wore his gold jacket, and his bronze bust was unveiled live in a touching tribute.
‘You are on a team that you can never be cut from and never be released from. When you die, you´ll always be on this team,’ Hall of Famer Richard Dent said, patting McMichael on the head.
‘Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven forever.’
Misty McMichael wiped tears as she turned her husband´s head toward the bronze bust.
Nicknamed ‘Mongo’ after the character in ‘Blazing Saddles’ who knocked out a horse and known for his brash and boisterous personality, McMichael was the most feared player on one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
He became the fourth defensive player from the 1985 team to enter the Hall, joining Dent, Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton.
McMichael, whose final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994, was an All-Pro in 1985 and 1987.
He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games for Chicago from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2.
McMichael was the most feared player on one of the greatest defenses in NFL history
He was nicknamed ‘Mongo’ after the character in ‘Blazing Saddles’ who knocked out a horse
Whether he was terrorizing opponents or discussing the Bears on sports talk radio, the man also known as ‘Ming The Merciless’ remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days ended.
He also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late 1990s. His brash personality and willingness to say whatever was on his mind made him a natural for the squared circle.
He began working for World Championship Wrestling at the height of the ‘Monday Night Wars’ with the World Wrestling Federation, starting as a color commentator and later joining Ric Flair in the ‘Four Horsemen’ group.
McMichael revealed in April 2021 that he was battling ALS. He had been experiencing tingling in his arms for some time that he figured was a neck or spine issue stemming from his playing days or his work as a wrestler.
A neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic suggested in September 2020 that he had ALS. McMichael sought other opinions, and in January 2021, doctors in Chicago confirmed the diagnosis.
Though he mostly retreated from public life following his announcement, photos posted on social media by friends and former teammates showed his decline. McMichael went from a 270-pound giant who used to blast through linebackers and drive wrestlers headfirst into the mat with the ‘Mongo spike’ to someone who was rail-thin, bedridden and hooked up to machines as his body failed him.
‘He´s scared to die and he shouldn´t be because he´s the most badass man I´ve ever known inside and out,’ his wife, Misty McMichael, told The Associated Press prior to his Hall of Fame induction in August 2024 . ‘He’s a good man. He’s gonna be in heaven before any of us, so I don´t know what he’s afraid of. But I’ve told him to please hang on ’til the (induction) and then, you know, I don’t want to see him suffer anymore. He’s been suffering.’
Born in Houston, McMichael’s parents separated when he was about 2. His mom, Betty, married an oil company executive named E.V. McMichael, and the younger McMichael considered him his dad and took on his surname.
He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games for Chicago from 1981 to 1993
McMichael is pictured celebrating the Bears’ Super Bowl win with teammate Henry Waechter
The family moved to Freer, Texas, and McMichael went on to letter in football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis and golf as a senior. A catcher, he preferred baseball. The Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals showed interest, but his parents wanted him to go to college.
He received recruiting letters for football from about 75 schools. Bear Bryant wanted to use him as a tight end at Alabama, while Darrell Royal recruited him to Texas as a defensive end. McMichael went on to star for the Longhorns from 1976-79. Although his freshman season was marred by the death of his stepfather, he became a consensus first-team All-American as a senior and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The New England Patriots drafted McMichael in the third round in 1980. He didn’t last long, appearing in six games as a rookie before getting released prior to his second season. McMichael would play hard on and off the field, getting in fights in practice and taking in Boston’s nightlife afterward.
The same traits that apparently led to a ticket out of New England were welcomed in Chicago.