Australian supermodel Sarah Murdoch’s older brother has died in Sydney leaving his family devastated by the loss.
Shaun O’Hare, who was billionaire media mogul Lachlan Murdoch’s brother-in-law, died on March 23 and was farewelled by his closest loved ones at a private funeral last month.
Mr O’Hare, a father-of-two, was executive director of international energy and telecommunications management company Eutility, which he founded in 1999.
In the days after the 58-year-old’s death, his daughter Ashleigh took to social media to ask that friends refrain from spreading the news until the family was ready to make it public.
‘As you may or may not know, a devastating event has occurred within the family,’ Ashleigh wrote in a Facebook post on March 30.
Billionaire media mogul Lachlan Murdoch ‘s brother-in-law Shaun O’Hare (above) has died suddenly in Sydney but his family decided to keep their devastating loss secret for a month
‘To those who know, I ask you to please not put up posts that may trigger us during this time.
‘I know a lot of people are deeply affected and want to share their love publicly.
‘For those who have already done so please know I have no hard feelings towards you. We are all doing the best we can in such a horrible time.’
Ashleigh returned to Facebook on April 26 with an invitation for friends to post freely about her father’s death, and thanked them for respecting the family’s privacy.
‘I found out that Dad left this world one month ago today,’ she wrote.
‘He left his siblings and daughters but also his parents which is devastating. It has been an absolute whirlwind of grief and coordinating services.’
Ashleigh said her father had deeply loved her and sister Tara, ‘always doing everything in his power to help us live the happiest, most fulfilling life possible’.
‘He would always be prepared to give a big hug with smatterings of head kisses, and when he was lying down, he would regularly beckon Tara and I over for a cuddle,’ she wrote.
‘This was a constant even though we were 21 and 25 at the end. I miss his love.’
Shaun O’Hare, the older brother of Mr Murdoch’s model wife Sarah, died on March 23 and was farewelled at a private funeral on April 11. Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch are pictured
‘As you may or may not know, a devastating event has occurred within the family,’ Mr O’Hare’s daughter Ashleigh wrote on Facebook on March 30. Sarah Murdoch is circled in a family shot
Ashleigh revealed her father was laid to rest in his ‘white short-shorts and tight Hugo Boss shirt’ after a service on April 11 at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney’s north.
Mr O’Hare’s brother Ryan offered further details about the ‘small private funeral’ in an email to friends who could not attend the service.
‘In the Lotus Pavilion, an open-air tropical space filled with beautiful gardens, tropical flowers, incense and birds chirping, we sent Shauny off with a few speeches and tributes,’ he wrote.
‘I carried his coffin to the car (that was quite emotional). We then walked in procession to his grave and laid him to rest.
‘When we returned, the tropical space was reset to cocktail, and we were treated to Shaun’s favourite cheese & alfalfa sprout sandwiches and lollies.’
Ryan also mentioned his brother, who had attended Sydney Grammar School at Darlinghurst, being buried in ‘his trademark white shorts and the ever too tight running top’.
Another memorial was held later in April for 170 guests who gathered at Walsh Bay – a few piers down from where Mr O’Hare until recently owned a harbourfront apartment.
Ashleigh revealed her father, pictured with his daughters, was laid to rest in his ‘white short-shorts and tight Hugo boss shirt’ after a service at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney’s north
Ryan was master of ceremonies at that event, which featured eulogies from old friends who sipped on chablis, champagne and gin.
‘Shaun would have been so chuffed at both events,’ Ryan wrote.
A third, more casual, memorial may be held at Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, where Mr O’Hare visited regularly and his brother has a house.
Four years ago Mr O’Hare was reported to be selling one of two luxury villas he owned in Port Douglas’s Sheraton Mirage Resort.
Mr O’Hare had been in Port Douglas with his partner, burlesque dancer and model Lucy Ellem, when Covid-19 hit in February 2020 and decided to ride out the pandemic in the tropical tourist town.
During that time the happy couple announced their engagement.
‘Very happy to announce Lucy Ellem and my engagement to be married whenever these travel restrictions end… love you darling,’ Mr O’Hare wrote on Facebook in October 2020.
Mr O’Hare announced his engagement to burlesque dancer and model Lucy Ellem, known professionally as Lulu Belle, in October 2020. The couple is pictured
However Mr O’Hare was coy when asked about the status of his relationship with Ms Ellem in July 2022.
‘Lucy and I are very good friends,’ he told Daily Mail Australia at the time.
When asked if that meant the engagement was off, he said: ‘That’s still to be determined… She’s a lovely girl.’
In September last year, Mr O’Hare sold his three-bedroom Walsh Bay spread on The Pier for $8million.
Mr O’Hare’s last social media post was on March 9, two weeks before his death, when he uploaded video from a competition at a Port Douglas gym which Eutility had sponsored.
In the days after the 58-year-old’s death, his daughter Ashleigh took to social media to ask that friends refrain from spreading the news until the family was ready to make it public
In Ashleigh’s online tribute she fondly recalled the family’s last trip to Port Douglas.
‘Dad was a boy in a grown-up’s body and I will miss our shared teasing and his dad jokes,’ she wrote.
‘On our most recent trip to Port Douglas in mid March, Dad’s outfit of choice was red shorts with a blue shirt.
‘During a private pilates class, Dad asked me what I thought of his outfit. I said his blue shirt contrasted nicely with his bright red face.
‘He was always trying to trip me over, ruffle my hair, or poke me. I would tell him “you’re so annoying” and he would say “that’s my job”.
Ashleigh said she had inherited her father’s love of video games, books, skiing, tennis, horror movies – ‘and most importantly, the rain’.
‘He impacted lots of lives, and although his own life was shorter than expected, he achieved almost everything he dreamt of doing,’ she wrote.
‘He will certainly live on in the shared histories that he holds as a permanent fixture in our memories.
‘A few days after Dad passed, I posted a message to those who knew to hold off on Facebook posts. Now, please feel free to post anything you wish and thank you for respecting my wishes.
‘I love you forever Dad I hope you are okay wherever you are.’
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