Michael Flatley has announced the death of his wife Niamh aged 52.
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Flatley → announce → wife
The Lord Of The Dance star shared a heartbreaking statement on his Instagram page on Monday evening as he asked fans to keep his family in their prayers.
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he → share → prayers
Niamh passed away peacefully at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, 'following a period of illness', a representative said.
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representative → pass → illness
No specific cause of death has been made public.
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cause → make → death
Michael, 68, shared a series of photographs of Niamh including one of the couple on their wedding day and another with their son, Michael Saint James.
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Michael → share → son
His statement read: 'My heart is broken.
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heart → read → ?
I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend.
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I → lose → wife
My gorgeous bride of twenty years has gone to the Lord in Heaven.
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bride → go → Heaven
'Thank you for all the love and kindness you have shown us.
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you → thank → us
'
Michael Flatley has announced the death of his wife Niamh aged 52 in a statement on Instagram
His statement read: 'My heart is broken.
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heart → announce → Instagram
I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend.
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I → lose → wife
My gorgeous bride of twenty years has gone to the Lord in Heaven
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bride → go → Heaven
'
Michael, 68, shared a series of photographs of Niamh including one of the couple on their wedding day and another with their son, Michael Saint James (pictured with their son)
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Michael → share → son
According to the Irish Independent, Niamh had been unwell for several years and was only hours away from being flown to the US for specialist treatment.
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Niamh → accord → treatment
Niamh had been battling ill health, with Michael reportedly spending 'every waking hour,' caring for his wife.
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Michael → battle → wife
A statement from Michael's representative added: '[The Flatley and O'Brien families] 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.
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who → add → family
'
Friends say Michael has been 'left distraught, devastated and utterly grief stricken'.
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Michael → say → ?
Fans of the Riverdance star offered their condolences in the comments section of his post, including one which read: 'So sorry for your loss Michael.
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which → offer → loss
Others read: 'So sorry to read this.
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Others → read → this
Thoughts and prayers'; 'So sad'; 'Sorry for your loss and condolences to all of your family, may she RIP'; 'Heartbreaking.
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she → rip → family
Heaven has gained an angel'; 'Deepest condolences.
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Heaven → gain → angel
Despite being unwell, Niamh continued her work as part of Michael's touring productions, working alongside costume designers, service providers and dancers.
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Niamh → continue → designers
Niamh, originally from County Meath, was an accomplished Irish dancer in her own right and competed at an elite level as a teenager and placed fourth in the World Irish Dancing Championships at the age of 17.
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Niamh → compete → 17
She subsequently became a professional performer and was part of the original Riverdance era, including the famous 1994 Eurovision interval performance.
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She → become → performance
She later performed in Michael Flatley productions including Feet Of Flames and Celtic Tiger, and played the lead character Saoirse in Lord Of The Dance.
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She → perform → Dance
Michael and Niamh didn't strike up a romance until 2006 but married later the same year in Fermoy, County Cork, before welcoming their son Michael Saint James in 2007.
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Michael → strike → 2007
In an interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2013, Michael again described his wife as his 'best friend'.
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Michael → describe → friend
Niamh, who was also a professional dancer, began performing at the age of three and appeared in Riverdance, Lord Of The Dance, Feet Of Flames and the Celtic Tiger
Fans of the Riverdance star offered their condolences in the comments section of his post, including one which read: 'So sorry for your loss Michael.
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which → begin → loss
They didn't strike up a romance until 2006 but married later the same year in Fermoy, County Cork, before welcoming their son Michael Saint James in 2007 (pictured on their wedding day)
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They → strike → day
He said: 'She is highly intelligent.
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She → say → ?
I am blessed to have her.
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I → have → her
Michael has also spoken of how Niamh was his rock during his battle with cancer.
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Niamh → speak → cancer
Speaking to the Irish Independent last year, he said: 'I was haemorrhaging and convulsing on a hospital bed and I kept passing out.
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I → speak → bed
They couldn't give me the painkillers necessary.
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They → give → painkillers
'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.
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wife → be → that
'And my wife was smiling.
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wife → smile → ?
Can you imagine the courage from my wife, to put on a smile in that position?
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you → imagine → position
The courage that took?
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that → take → ?
'
Niamh and Michael were last seen in public together in August, celebrating Michael Smurfit's 90th birthday in Monaco.
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Niamh → see → Monaco
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