Sports

Megan Rapinoe Sadly Reveals Her Brother Michael Died Last Year

Former United States women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe is receiving thoughts and prayers from her fans this week.

During the latest episode of her "A Touch More" podcast, Rapinoe had a discussion with former USWNT star Abby Wambach about the experience of losing a sibling. Wambach's oldest brother, Peter G. Wambach Jr., passed away in 2023 at the age of 51.

Rapinoe then revealed that her half-brother Michael passed away in 2025 after a battle with alcoholism.

"I went home last year after my older brother Michael died. He had a long battle with alcoholism…it was sad," Rapinoe said, via the New York Post.

"I see the obsession and compulsion and addiction in myself and in him too. It's like you're searching for something. And I was thinking so much while I was home, like, ‘Wow, I can't remember the last time I was home for this long, not for a holiday or wedding or something.'"

 Jun 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Former US Soccer player Megan Rapinoe is introduced to the crowd before the game against the Seattle Storm at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Jun 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Former US Soccer player Megan Rapinoe is introduced to the crowd before the game against the Seattle Storm at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.

The Rapinoe family has battled through adversity.

Rapinoe opened up about her brother Brian in 2019 during an interview with ESPN. She discussed his drug addiction and how he spent time in solitary confinement due to his record at the Vista Detention Facility in San Diego County.

"My brother is special," Rapinoe said, via ESPN. "He has so much to offer. It would be such a shame if he left this world with nothing but prison sentences behind him. To be able to have him out, and to play for him, and to have him healthy, with this different perspective that he has now: This is like the best thing ever."

Soccer fans are keeping Rapinoe in their thoughts at this time.

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