Michael Flatley has announced the death of his wife, Niamh O’Brien, at the age of 52. Sharing the news on social media, the Lord of the Dance star said he was “broken-hearted” after O’Brien died peacefully at Dublin’s Beacon Hospital “following a period of illness.” Reports indicate she had been due to fly to the United States within hours for specialist treatment. “My heart is broken. I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend,” Flatley, 68, 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. Thank you for all the love and kindness you have shown us. Please keep Niamh, Michael St James and our family in your thoughts and prayers.”
Flatley and O’Brien married in Fermoy, County Cork, in 2006. Their son, Michael St James, was born the following year.
O’Brien began dancing when she was three years old and went on to achieve success at the World Championships.
A celebrated Irish dancer in her own right, O’Brien performed as Saoirse in Lord of the Dance productions.
Friends of Flatley said he had been left “distraught, devastated and utterly grief-stricken.” They added that he spent “every waking hour” caring for his wife, who had been unwell for several years.
“The Flatley and O’Brien families are devastated by Niamh’s sudden passing and have asked that their privacy be respected as they come to terms with this heartbreaking loss,” a representative said.
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“They express their sincere gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Beacon Hospital who cared for Niamh over the past few weeks, and to everyone who has offered their kindness and support to the family.”
During an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories on ITV in 2013, Flatley spoke warmly about O’Brien, describing her as his “best friend.”
“She is highly intelligent. She is my best friend. She is extraordinarily beautiful, inside and out. I am proud to be her husband. I am blessed to have her. She is a loyal true blue,” he said.
In an interview with the Irish Independent last year, Flatley recalled a serious health crisis during which O’Brien stayed by his side. “I was haemorrhaging and convulsing on a hospital bed and I kept passing out. They couldn’t give me the painkillers necessary. There were some wonderful nurses that were trying to help me, but they were invisible to me because of the pain. But I will never forget opening my eyes one of the times that I came to, and my wife was there,” he said.
“And my wife was smiling. Can you imagine the courage from my wife, to put on a smile in that position? The courage that took?”