Aussie supermodel Sarah Murdoch’s brother Shaun O’Hare dies aged 58 – as his devastated daughter leaves a heart-wrenching tribute

The older brother of Australian supermodel Sarah Murdoch is deceased Sydney leaves his family devastated by the loss.

Shaun O’Hare, the 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.

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 following the 58-year-old’s death, his daughter Ashleigh asked friends on social media not to spread the news until the family was ready to make it public.

“As you may know, a devastating event has occurred within the family,” Ashleigh wrote in a March 30 Facebook post.

‘To those in the know, I ask you not to post messages 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 so, know that I hold no grudge against you. We are all doing our best during this terrible time.”

Ashleigh returned to Facebook on April 26 with an invitation for friends to post freely about her father’s death, thanking them for respecting the family’s privacy.

“I found out daddy left this world a month ago today,” she wrote.

‘He left his siblings and daughters, but also his parents, which is devastating. It was an absolute whirlwind of grief and coordination.”

Ashleigh said her father loved her and sister Tara very much and “always did everything he could to help us live the happiest and most fulfilling lives possible.”

“He was always ready to give a big hug with a few kisses on the head, and when he was lying down, he would often beckon Tara and me for a hug,” she wrote.

“This was a constant, even though we were finally 21 and 25. I miss his love.”

Ashleigh revealed her father was buried in his “white shorts and tight Hugo Boss shirt” after a service on April 11 at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney’s north.

O’Hare’s brother Ryan provided more details about the “small private funeral” in an email to friends who could not attend the service.

“At the Lotus Pavilion, a tropical open-air space full of beautiful gardens, tropical flowers, incense and birdsong, we sent Shauny off with a few speeches and tributes,” he wrote.

‘I carried his coffin to the car (which was quite emotional). We then walked in procession to his grave and laid him to rest.

‘When we returned, the tropical room was reset for cocktails and we were treated to Shaun’s favorite sandwiches and lollipops with cheese and alfalfa sprouts.’

Ryan also mentioned that his brother, who had attended Sydney Grammar School in Darlinghurst, was buried in ‘his trademark white shorts and the always too tight running shirt’.

Another commemoration was held later in April for 170 guests who gathered at Walsh Bay – a few piers away from where Mr O’Hare until recently owned a harborside apartment.

Ryan was master of ceremonies at that event, which featured eulogies from old friends sipping chablis, champagne and gin.

“Shaun would have been so thrilled at both events,” Ryan wrote.

A third, more informal memorial may be held in Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, where Mr O’Hare visits regularly and his brother has a home.

Four years ago, Mr O’Hare was due to sell one of the two luxury villas he owned at the Sheraton Mirage Resort in Port Douglas.

Mr O’Hare had been in Port Douglas with his partner, burlesque dancer and model Lucy Ellem when Covid-19 struck in February 2020 and decided to ride out the pandemic in the tropical tourist town.

During that time, the happy couple announced their engagement.

“I am very happy to announce Lucy Ellem and my engagement to be married once these travel restrictions end… I love you darling,” Mr O’Hare wrote on Facebook in October 2020.

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 has yet to be determined… She’s a lovely girl.”

In September last year, Mr O’Hare sold his three-bedroom Walsh Bay apartment on The Pier for $8 million.

Mr O’Hare’s last social media post was on March 9, two weeks before his death, when he uploaded a video of a match at a Port Douglas gym that Eutility had sponsored.

In Ashleigh’s online tribute, she fondly remembered the family’s last trip to Port Douglas.

“Daddy was a boy in an adult’s body and I will miss our shared teasing and his father’s jokes,” she wrote.

‘On our most recent trip to Port Douglas in mid-March, Dad’s favorite outfit 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, ruffle my hair or poke me. I told him “you’re so annoying” and he said “that’s my job”.

Ashleigh said she inherited her father’s love of video games, books, skiing, tennis, horror movies – “and most of all, the rain.”

“He touched many lives, and although his own life was shorter than expected, he accomplished almost everything he dreamed of,” she wrote.

‘He will certainly live on in the shared history that he keeps as a permanent fixture in our memories.

“A few days after my father passed away, I posted a message to those who knew they had to postpone their Facebook posts. Feel free to post anything you want and thank you for respecting my wishes.

“I love you forever daddy, I hope you are doing well wherever you are.”