On Friday, Aideen said on Twitter that she had been hospitalized but was now returning home for palliative care, but died at the hospital on Saturday. In her latest post on social media, the journalist – who was perhaps best known from her time on UTV – appealed to her followers to take care of her children. “Life has not gone well and I am as sick as when I went to the hospital. [I’m] essentially going home to die but receiving palliative care. The children know. If you come across them, will you notice them? “They are the kindest, the sweetest, the most thoughtful children,” he said. It was announced on Saturday that he had passed away. Journalist Claire Savage said she first met Aideen when they were both involved in the Washington Ireland Program 20 years ago. “I will always remember her as this raucous, bright-eyed, lively young woman and she impressed me so much that I told her she had to go to work at Belfast Citybeat, where I worked with Stephen Nolan,” she told the Belfast Telegraph. “I was leaving Citybeat at the time. She was already a talented newspaper reporter, but I thought she really had a face for the show. She was warm and kind and a real man. “I knew he was going to be a great broadcaster because he had that natural way with people. Aideen got a job at Citybeat and we grew up together in the media industry. “We knew each other regularly and watched each other’s careers and anyone who knew Aideen knew her as such a warm and kind woman. “Unfortunately, she received many bad blows in life. Unfortunately, when I moved to England we lost some contact, but I remember it so fondly, especially when we were in our 20s together in America. “She was a gifted woman who loved people and people loved her. I hope her parents can be comforted by the fact that so many people loved her. This is a rare thing in the media industry, but it really was.” Following the news of Aideen’s death, there was an outburst of grief. In a statement, a UTV spokesman expressed condolences to her family. “The UTV family is deeply saddened to hear of the death of former colleague and friend Aideen Kennedy. “A truly talented reporter, she spent many years on UTV bringing stories to viewers across Northern Ireland,” the spokesman said. DUP MLA Emma Little-Pengelly also met Aideen at the Washington Ireland Program. She said she was “absolutely devastated” by the death of her “beautiful, funny, kind friend”. “I will miss him terribly. We met 22 years ago when we shared a room for the summer in DC and became close friends. “Goodbye beautiful girl,” he said. The funeral of the late journalist wrote: “Dedicated mother to Jacob and Eva, the beloved daughter of Noel and Maura, the beloved sister of the late Rory, Dara and Fiona (Brady). “Eden’s remains will depart from O’Kanes Funeral Directors, 116-118 Donegall Street, Belfast at 10:30 a.m. for arrival at Good Shepherd Church for Requiem Liturgy at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Arrangements for incineration will follow. Private house. “Only for family flowers, donations, if desired, can be made to RNIB Funeral Directors c / o O’Kanes or online at www.okanesfunerals.co.uk.” Aideen was one of four brothers who have all died young. She is survived by her two children, Jacob and Eva, and her parents, Noel and Maura. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph in 2019, Aideen talked about how she lost her younger brother Dara to a brain tumor in 2015 and Fiona’s older sister to cancer shortly after. “I grew up in Belfast. It was me, my parents – my dad was an engineer and my mom was a teacher – my sister Fiona and my brother Dara. Both Fiona and Dara have passed away in recent years. “Fiona was 44 and Dara just 35. They were my best friends,” he said. “I had another brother, Rory, who was killed in a car accident when he was one year old. We talked about him all the time. Seamus Heaney’s Mid-Term Break reminds me of Rory. “The phrase ‘I saw him for the first time in six weeks. Pale now, wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple’ always stuck with me. “My mom told me that Rory looked like an angel and you would not know that nothing had happened except the bruise. I remember a teacher reading this poem. It immediately made me think of him. “My mom Maura and my dad Noel are the strongest and most loved people I know. With my mom being a teacher and my dad originally from Argentina, the nature of our family has always had children at the forefront. “We are very focused on people as a family. “We were a very close family and we did a lot together.” In the same interview, she paid tribute to her parents. “They have been through so much, losing three of their children, but they refuse to let life overtake them,” he said. “They are funny, affectionate and supportive and enjoy what life has to offer. They are bridge champions. Although I do not approve of them playing bridge around the world, because my nerves get pounded when they are crazy, I admire their attitude in Zoe”. …
