Steve McMichael, a Hall of Fame mainstay for the Chicago Bears on one of the NFL’s legendary defenses in the 1980s, died at 67 after years of living with ALS.
Nicknamed “Mongo,” the star defensive tackle was part of the iconic 1985 Chicago Bears defense that led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title.
Hall of Fame defensive tackle Steve McMichael was an integral part of the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears defense.Bob Fila / Chicago Tribune via Getty Images
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 for a career that spanned from 1980-1994. He was a two-time All-Pro who finished his career with 95 sacks, 92 1/2 of which came during his time with the Bears. That total ranks second in franchise history behind fellow Hall of Famer and former teammate Richard Dent.
He is survived by his wife, Misty, and daughter, Macy.
Steve McMichael’s cause of death
The Bears legend died following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on April 23 at the Lightways Hospice in Joliet, Illinois, his publicist told The Associated Press.
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no known cure, according to the ALS Association.
ALS affects nerve cells, or motor neurons, in the brain and spine, which can cause people to lose muscle control and the ability to “speak, eat, move and breathe,” according to the ALS Association.
“It’s a cruel irony that the Bears’ Ironman succumbed to this dreaded disease,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. “Yet Steve showed us throughout his struggle that his real strength was internal, and he demonstrated on a daily basis his class, his dignity and his humanity. He is at peace now.”
Steve McMichael’s timeline of his battle with ALS
April 2021: McMichael reveals his ALS diagnosis
The Hall of Famer told the Chicago Tribune in April 2021 that he had been diagnosed with ALS a few months earlier and had lost between 50 to 60 pounds at the time.
Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael in 2019, two years before he revealed he was diagnosed with ALS. Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune via Getty Images
The famously hulking defensive tackle said he needed help from his wife, Misty, to use the bathroom and bathe himself.
He also was no longer able to raise his arms or grasp anything with his hands, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“I promise you, this epitaph that I’m going to have on me now? This ain’t ever how I envisioned this was going to end,” McMichael told the newspaper.
McMichael said at the time that he would no longer be making public appearances. He was a regular fixture as a Bears analyst for the local ESPN radio station and played shows around Chicago with his band, The Chicago Six.
“I want everybody to realize why they’re no longer going to see me around,” he said.
April 2021: McMichael shared the symptoms that led to his ALS diagnosis
The retired star told the Chicago Tribune that he first began to feel chronic tingling in his arms, and his wife said he struggled to hold silverware.
McMichael thought maybe it was a result of injuries from his time in the NFL or his post-football career as a professional wrestler. However, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota suggested it could be ALS, which McMichael told the Chicago Tribune was confirmed after visits to multiple other doctors.
2022: Steve McMichael’s ability to talk and move affected by ALS
McMichael’s condition made it a struggle for him to talk by 2022, according to a profile of him by The Athletic.
He had a tracheostomy tube, a feeding tube, a ventilator, a cough assist machine, a saliva suction machine and an oxygen tank by 2022, according to The Athletic.
McMichael was able to only make slight movements with his toes and legs as the disease progressed. He also used a wheelchair.
At the end of 2021, he had to go to the hospital for a month with double pneumonia and nearly died on multiple occasions, per The Athletic.
“The life I used to live is over,” McMichael said. “Now I’m glued to this bed.”
2024: Steve McMichael inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
McMichael was unable to attend his own Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton, Ohio, due to his condition, so officials came to his home.
McMichael’s sister, Kathy, read a speech written by McMichael to a film crew to mark his enshrinement, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Misty attended her husband’s Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton and accepted his gold jacket on his behalf.
April 2025: McMichael is moved into hospice care
A spokesperson for McMichael told NBC Chicago that he had been moved into hospice on April 23, 2025, and he died the same day.
His widow told the Fox station in Chicago it was recommended he be moved to a hospice facility after being “unresponsive for the last two weeks and in and out of the hospital.”
“I know he can hear me and he can respond a little bit,” she said. “He’s still my man. Twenty-four years married, 27 together. It’s hard to let him go. I don’t ever want to.”
