Sharon and Shane Horgan 'not sure how they'll cope' as dad dies

29 December 2023 , 18:38

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Sharon and Shane Horgan 'not sure how they'll cope' as beloved dad John dies after cancer battle

TV star and comedian Sharon Horgan and rugby player brother Shane Horgan have been left 'heartbroken' after their father died of cancer.

Father of five John Horgan was surrounded by his family after a brave battle with cancer. Originally from New Zealand, John relocated to County Meath whilst Sharon and sister Maria were still children and initially set up as a pub landlord before switching career completely to become a turkey farmer.

Sharon Horgan and her family are mourning the loss of her father after he died following a cancer battle

The Tv star has previously spoken highly of her New Zealand father

A notice on RIP.ie: "The death has occurred of John (Donald) Horgan of Strand Rd, Termonfeckin, Co Louth, formerly of Bellewstown, Co Meath, London and Christchurch, New Zealand. He was a hugely loved husband of Ursula, father to Maria, Sharon, Lorraine, Shane and Mark and grandfather to Sadhbhy, Amer, Marianne, Charlie, Sadie, Neala, Joni and Aoibh. The funeral to celebrate the life of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and good friend will be held at The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Termonfeckin, on Tuesday, 2nd January, 2024 at 1pm."

A source revealed to The Sun : "“He had been ill for the past couple of years, he had cancer. All the family were with him when he died. He was a very proud dad, they are a very tight unit as families go. He loved that none of his children let their fame go to their heads and are all very level-headed. He was firm but fair and they all loved him. They are a very private family and not sure how they will cope with his passing."

Sharon's younger brother Shane is an Irish former rugby union player who played wing or centre for Leinster and Ireland (INPHO)

Sharon has previously spoken fondly of her father and his strange career change, as she shared in a previous interview: "I was born in London and when I was very small my family owned a pub in the East End — the deep East End where the Kray brothers worked. One day someone came to my father and asked him to give an alibi for something very serious. That’s when my parents decided to move my sister and me to Ireland."

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She continued: "I don’t know how you make that jump into turkey farming. But I guess he was trying to find something that would work for us as a family."

Sharon isn't the only famous one in the Horgan household, with brother Shane an Irish former rugby union player who played wing or centre for Leinster and Ireland. Shane's sports career was a 'proud' moment for dad John, who was a great rugby fan as Sharon once explained in an interview: "As for Shane, well our dad’s a New Zealander, so can you imagine how proud he is of a rugby player son? They’re proud of me, too, of course. But it’s only the telly, you know, it’s not like I’m doing something important, like saving the world! Or playing rugby!"

Niamh Spence