Ronan Keating says his ‘heart hurts’ as he pays tribute to beloved big brother

01 December 2023 , 14:23

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Ronan has openly shared his battle with grief following Ciaran's death (Image: Getty Images)

Devastated Ronan Keating told fans his “heart hurts” as he paid tribute to his beloved brother.

Ciarán Keating, 57, was tragically killed in a road crash in Co. Mayo, Ireland, in July, as he was travelling to his son Ruairi’s football match. The businessman was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision between his car and another vehicle, and his wife Ann Marie, who was a passenger in the car, was taken to hospital for treatment.

In a heartbreaking post on Instagram to mark his big brother’s birthday, the former Boyzone singer said he was “left in limbo” as he struggled to come to terms with Ciarán’s death. Sharing a photo of him with his brother, Ronan urged his fans to stay in contact with loved ones, and reach out to family members.

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Ronan with son Jack and big brother Ciaran, who died in July

“Today was always going to be a tough one. What should be my Brother Ciaran’s Birthday is instead a day to remember he is gone. Gone too soon. Taken from us in the most horrific way,” he began the emotional post.

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“There is no easy way in grief, Just a coming to terms with your situation. We have all been left in this limbo without him. Questioning ourselves and our actions while he was on this earth 'why didn’t we spend more time together, why didn’t we speak more.' F*ck I miss my big brother today and every day since he got on that Green bird to NYC in 1988,” Ronan sadly continued.

Ronan shared his heartbreak as he marked Ciaran's birthday

“Call your sibling, your parent, your child, your loved one. Don’t put it off don’t think they will be there tomorrow. Because they may not. My heart hurts today. For everyone that has lost a loved one too soon I feel your pain. I’ll light a candle for you C. Remembering you on your birthday,” the singer/songwriter concluded.

Ronan was in South Africa with wife Storm when news broke of his brother’s death, and in a recent appearance on Loose Men, the When You Say Nothing At All hitmaker confessed he and his family were struggling to come to terms with Ciarán’s death. He told the panel it was a “tough few months”, and it had been difficult ot process as he passed away “so quick”.

“Unexpected. We’re still figuring it all out. What we are doing is we’re talking to each other, and we have each other to lean on. That’s really, really important,” he explained. “It’s all about communication, talking about it, but also having somebody who’s going through something that feels the same, that you feel they understand what I’m going through.”

Emma Wilson