Danny Frawley made an impassioned plea for Australians to take mental health seriously in the months leading up to his tragic death.

The footy great bravely urged Aussies to “change the face of mental health forever’’ in a video filmed for charity One in Five for World Mental Health Awareness Week.

St Kilda legend and mental health campaigner Frawley spoke out about the need to address the fact one in five Australians faced mental health challenges every day in the video.

“Did you know one in five Australians are living with a mental illness right now?’’ he said.

“Join us today and help turn one in five, to none in five.

media_camera Danny Frawley is featured in a new mental health campaign, one month after his death. Picture: Mark Stewart

“And change the face of mental illness for everyone.’’

Frawley’s family gave the charity their blessing to have Frawley’s words shared nationally, believing it was as important as ever to spread the message.

Frawley’s wife Anita said that they were

“It has been an extremely difficult time since Danny‘s passing one month ago however my daughters and I felt it was important to use Danny’s position of influence in the community, therefore we have made the decision to allow the One in Five TVC to go to air as part of Danny’s legacy,” she said in a statement.

“Danny was incredibly passionate about mental health promotion & research.

“Whilst it is going to be difficult to see Danny on our screens, we felt it was more important to allow this to go to air in the hope that it saves lives and encourages people to have on-going conversations around mental health.

“We know this is what Danny would have wanted.”

One in Five chair Gabrielle Sheehan said Frawley, who died tragically last month had been working with the charity “to increase awareness of the importance of research in improving outcomes.

“He was a major part in the advertising campaign which was due to launch on October 10 to coincide with World Mental Health Awareness day,’’ she said.

Out of respect for Frawley and his family, Ms Sheehan said the charity considered whether it was appropriate to use the advertisement but his family wanted Australians to know what he stood for.

media_camera Danny Frawley’s family wanted his message to be shared. Picture: Mark Stewart

“They had been incredibly brave and generous during this extremely sensitive time’, she said.

“We hope the message from Danny helps us do more in the space of raising awareness of the need to fund medical research into mental illness.

“To answer the questions into the what and why one in five Australians are facing mental health challenges everyday’’.

Frawley’s heartbroken wife Anita last month declared: “Danny, as a champion of mental health would want me to continue his legacy”.

She revealed Frawley’s “mental health had deteriorated” in the weeks leading up to his death and he “had experienced and lived with depression dating back a number of years’’.

“I want this to be a reminder to all those grappling with mental health conditions and to those whom have made progress with their wellbeing,’’ she said.

media_camera Danny Frawley’s death rocked the AFL and wider Victorian community. Picture: Mark Stewart

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“That you should always seek help from professionals when considering making decisions surrounding your mental health, even when you feel as though you have fully recovered.’’

The campaign will be aired nationally on the 7 and SBS networks as well as appearing on

Australia’s medical clinic network, Tonic TV.

Frawley had been working on the campaign along side the likes of musician Tim Rogers, model Nick Bracks and actor and singer Lucy Lawless.

peter.rolfe@news.com.au

Originally published as Tragic Frawley’s final mental health message