Michael Flatley has stated that his "heart is broken" after confirming the death of his wife, the dancer Niamh O’Brien, at the age of 52.
The choreographer, 68, who is best known for creating the Irish dancing troupe Riverdance, paid tribute to his "beautiful wife" and "best friend" in a post shared on social media on Monday evening.
The couple were married for 20 years and had performed together in Lord Of The Dance, the Irish dance show set up by Flatley.
In a post shared on Instagram, he said: "My heart is broken. I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend.
"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."
Alongside the tribute, Flatley also shared a carousel of photographs including one of his wife dancing, a wedding photo and a photo with their son, Michael St James, who was born in 2007.
Earlier this year, The Times asked the dancer about his status as a sex symbol in the Nineties and settling down with Niamh O’Brien.
“I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful son,” he said.
“But don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every kiss with every beautiful girl, every sip of Château Latour ’82, every gear change in an Aston Martin and Ferrari, every private jet ride and each of my homes, known as the ‘string of pearls’ designed by the genius Peter Inston.”
Flatley, who was born into a blue-collar Irish-American family in Chicago, rose to fame when Riverdance performed during a seven-minute interval at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994.
A year later, he had a full-length show in Dublin and followed this up with his own stage show, Lord Of The Dance.
He has also created, produced and directed other productions including Feet Of Flames and Celtic Tiger before expanding into film, directing and starring in the 2018 spy thriller Blackbird.
In the movie, which also stars Eric Roberts, Patrick Bergin and Ian Beattie, Flatley plays former MI6 operative Victor Blackley, who is drawn back into the world of espionage he had left behind.
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