Niamh O'Brien dead: 'Lord of the Dance' star dies aged 52

Niamh O'Brien, a former lead performer in Lord of the Dance and the wife of Riverdance star Michael Flatley, has died at the age of 52.

Flatley announced her death on social media on Monday, saying his "heart is broken". 

He added: "My gorgeous bride of twenty years has gone to the Lord in Heaven."

O'Brien was a renowned Irish dancer who played the lead role of Saoirse in the Lord of the Dance shows. 

In his tribute, Flatley described her as the most loving mother, wife and person he knew, and said the family's lives would never be the same without her. 

The couple had a son, Michael St. James, who was born in 2007.

A representative for Flatley told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ that O'Brien died peacefully at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin after an illness.

The spokesperson described her passing as sudden and said the Flatley and O'Brien families were devastated. 

They have asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what was called a heartbreaking loss.

The statement also thanked the doctors, nurses and staff at Beacon Hospital, who cared for O'Brien over the past few weeks. 

The families extended their sincere gratitude to them, and to everyone who has offered kindness and support since the news emerged.

No further details about her illness have been shared. 

Flatley's message, posted the day the news broke, was a short and deeply personal farewell to the woman he had called his bride for two decades, and the dancer who helped carry one of Irish dance's best-known stage shows.