One of England's greatest cricket players has died in a tragic suicide. 55-year-old Graham Thorpe took his own life by jumping in front of a train, an inquest has heard.
Thorpe was found dead on the morning of August 4 at his local train station in Esher.
At a hearing Tuesday, Surrey Coroner Simon Wickens said Thorpe died from "traumatic injuries" after being struck by a train. Police identified Thorpe from his fingerprints.
During his career as a batter from 1993 to 2005, Thorpe was one of England's greatest cricket players, hitting 16 hundreds in 100 Test matches. He went on to work as a coach until 2022, when his career was derailed by depression.
Tragically, Thorpe went into a mental spiral that he never recovered from, according to his wife Amanda.
"Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better," his wife told The Times.
"He was so unwell in recent times and he really did believe that we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life."
Thorpe made a "serious attempt on his life" in 2022 that led to a hospitalization, his wife Amanda said.
"For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety. This led him to make a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit."
"Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe. We supported him as a family and he tried many, many treatments but unfortunately none of them really seemed to work."
His daughter, Kitty, said the family wants the truth to be known so other people who are suffering from mental illness can get help. "There is nothing to hide and it is not a stigma," she said.
The Telegraph reports that COVID protocols were a factor in Thorpe's decline. He complained of the constant testing becoming a burden to players' mental health during the 2021-2022 Ashes series in Australia, which was Thorpe's last tour as England's assistant coach.
Australia won the series decisively, and the tour ended with a night of boisterous drinking in which Thorpe lit a cigar indoors at the team hotel, leading to police being called.
Thorpe was sacked and was later named Afghanistan's head coach, but he never took the job.
