Overview

• Police found Christie dead at his Nelson home on Wednesday and said the case has been referred to the coroner with no further details released.
• Friends told local media they fear the death was self‑inflicted, a suspicion not confirmed by authorities.
• Christie retired after multiple concussions and later described persistent headaches, memory lapses, speech difficulties, depression, and mood swings.
• He advocated for concussion research, helped establish the Billy Guyton Foundation after his teammate’s 2023 death, and said he intended to donate his brain for CTE study.
• New Zealand Rugby and his former clubs issued tributes, as his passing draws renewed attention to CTE research and to ongoing legal claims by former players over brain injuries.