Michael Flatley, the Riverdance creator and Lord of the Dance star, has announced that his wife, dancer Niamh O'Brien, has died at the age of 52.
Flatley, 68, shared the news in a statement posted to social media on Monday evening, calling O'Brien his "beautiful wife" and "best friend".
"My heart is broken. I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend," he wrote. "My gorgeous bride of twenty years has gone to the Lord in Heaven. She was the most loving mother, wife and person, and our lives will never be the same without her."
According to a statement from Flatley's representatives, O'Brien died at Beacon Hospital in Dublin following a period of illness. The families have asked for privacy as they come to terms with what they described as a heartbreaking loss, and thanked the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital who cared for her over the past few weeks. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
A dancer in her own right
Like her husband, Niamh O'Brien was a celebrated Irish dancer. She performed the lead role of Saoirse in Lord of the Dance, Flatley's worldwide stage spectacular, and also appeared in productions including Riverdance, Feet of Flames and Celtic Tiger.
The couple first met on the set of Riverdance in the 1990s and married in 2006 in Fermoy, County Cork. They had one son, Michael St James, born in 2007.
Tributes from fans and the entertainment world have poured in since the announcement, with many sharing memories of O'Brien's precision and grace on stage.
Sources:
LADBible — Star Michael Flatley shares the death of his wife Niamh, at the age of 52
Goss.ie — Michael Flatley heartbroken as wife Niamh dies aged 52
Flatley, 68, shared the news in a statement posted to social media on Monday evening, calling O'Brien his "beautiful wife" and "best friend".
"My heart is broken. I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend," he wrote. "My gorgeous bride of twenty years has gone to the Lord in Heaven. She was the most loving mother, wife and person, and our lives will never be the same without her."
According to a statement from Flatley's representatives, O'Brien died at Beacon Hospital in Dublin following a period of illness. The families have asked for privacy as they come to terms with what they described as a heartbreaking loss, and thanked the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital who cared for her over the past few weeks. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
A dancer in her own right
Like her husband, Niamh O'Brien was a celebrated Irish dancer. She performed the lead role of Saoirse in Lord of the Dance, Flatley's worldwide stage spectacular, and also appeared in productions including Riverdance, Feet of Flames and Celtic Tiger.
The couple first met on the set of Riverdance in the 1990s and married in 2006 in Fermoy, County Cork. They had one son, Michael St James, born in 2007.
Tributes from fans and the entertainment world have poured in since the announcement, with many sharing memories of O'Brien's precision and grace on stage.
Sources:
LADBible — Star Michael Flatley shares the death of his wife Niamh, at the age of 52
Goss.ie — Michael Flatley heartbroken as wife Niamh dies aged 52
