The older brother of Australian supermodel Sarah Murdoch has died in Sydney leaves her family devastated by the loss.
Shaun O’Hare, brother-in-law of billionaire media mogul Lachlan Murdoch, died on March 23 and was farewelled by his closest loved ones at a private funeral last month.
O’Hare, a father of two, was CEO of international energy management and telecommunications company Eutility, which he founded in 1999.
In the days following the 58-year-old’s death, his daughter Ashleigh took to social media to ask that her 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) died suddenly in Sydney, but his family decided to keep their devastating loss a secret for a month.
‘To those who know, I ask that you do not post any posts that could trigger us during this time.
‘I know many people are deeply affected and want to share their love publicly.
‘For those who have already done it, know that 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 her friends to post freely about her father’s death and thanked them for respecting the family’s privacy.
“I found out dad left this world a month ago today,” she wrote.
‘He left his brothers and daughters, but also his parents, which is devastating. ‘He has been an absolute whirlwind of pain and service coordination.’
Ashleigh said her father loved her and her sister Tara deeply, “always doing everything in his power to help us live the happiest and most fulfilling lives possible.”
“He was always willing to give a big hug with a few kisses on the head, and when he was lying down, he regularly motioned for Tara and me to hug each other,” she wrote.
‘This was a constant even though at the end we were 21 and 25 years old. I miss your love.’
Shaun O’Hare, the older brother of Murdoch’s model wife Sarah, died on March 23 and was farewelled at a private funeral on April 11. Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch 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 appears circled in a family photograph.
Ashleigh revealed her father was buried in his ‘white shorts and a tight Hugo Boss t-shirt’ after a service on April 11 at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney’s north.
O’Hare’s brother, Ryan, offered more details about the “small private funeral” in an email to friends who were unable to attend the service.
“At the Lotus Pavilion, a tropical outdoor space filled with beautiful gardens, tropical flowers, incense and singing birds, we said goodbye to Shauny with some speeches and tributes,” he wrote.
‘I carried his coffin to the car (that was quite emotional). Then we walked in procession to his grave and buried him.
“When we returned, the tropical space was restored to cocktail and we were treated to Shaun’s favorite cheese and alfalfa sprout sandwiches and popsicles.”
Ryan also mentioned that his brother, who had attended Sydney Grammar School in Darlinghurst, was buried in “his trademark white shorts and his always too-tight running shirt”.
Another tribute was held in late April for 170 guests who gathered at Walsh Bay, a few docks down from where O’Hare until recently owned a harborfront apartment.
Ashleigh revealed her father, pictured with his daughters, was buried in his “white shorts and a tight Hugo Boss t-shirt” after a service at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney’s north.
Ryan was the master of ceremonies at that event, which featured praise from old friends who drank chablis, champagne and gin.
“Shaun would have been very happy with both events,” Ryan wrote.
A third, more informal tribute could be held in Port Douglas, in far north Queensland, where O’Hare visits regularly and his brother has a home.
Four years ago it was reported that Mr O’Hare was selling one of the two luxury villas he owned at the Sheraton Mirage Resort in Port Douglas.
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 resort town.
During that time the happy couple announced their engagement.
“I’m so happy to announce Lucy Ellem and my commitment to get married when these travel restrictions end… love you sweetheart,” O’Hare wrote on Facebook in October 2020.
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, O’Hare played coy when asked about the status of his relationship with 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 over, he said: “That’s still to be determined… She’s a lovely girl.”
In September last year, O’Hare sold his three-bedroom Walsh Bay property at The Pier for $8 million.
O’Hare’s last social media post was on March 9, two weeks before his death, when he uploaded a video of a competition at a Port Douglas gym that Eutility had sponsored.
In the days following the 58-year-old’s death, his daughter Ashleigh took to social media to ask that her 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 child in an adult’s body and I will miss our shared teasing and his father’s jokes,” he wrote.
‘On our most recent trip to Port Douglas in mid-March, Dad’s preferred outfit was red shorts with a blue shirt.
‘During a private Pilates class, Dad asked me what I thought of her outfit. I said that his blue shirt contrasted nicely with his bright red face.
“He was always trying to trip me, ruffle my hair or push me. I’d say ‘you’re so annoying’ and he’d say ‘that’s my job.’
Ashleigh said she had inherited her father’s love of video games, books, skiing, tennis, horror movies and “and, most importantly, rain.”
“He impacted many lives and, although his own life was shorter than expected, he achieved almost everything he dreamed of,” he wrote.
‘Without a doubt, it will continue to live on in the shared stories it maintains as a permanent element in our memories.
‘A few days after Dad died, I sent a message to those who knew to hold off on posting on Facebook. Now, feel free to post whatever you want and thank you for respecting my wishes.
‘I will love you forever dad, I hope you are well wherever you are.’
