Rosie O’Donnell’s Father Dies of Cancer at 81

Rosie O’Donnell’s father, Edward Joseph O’Donnell, died of cancer on Sunday, at age 81, a rep for the star has confirmed.

Edward worked in the defense industry as an electrical engineer upon immigrating from Ireland to Long Island, New York. O’Donnell, 53, has been through a tough few weeks.

He raised O’Donnell and her four siblings after her mother, Roseann, died in March 1973 from breast cancer when the comedian was 11.

We can’t imagine what it would have been like for O’Donnell’s child to still be missing at the time of her father’s death. The 53-year-old tv character had a strained relationship with her father, which she told CNN’s Piers Morgan back in 2012. “You have to work it out for yourself”.

“No matter what, at the end of the day, every child loves their dad”, she added.

Rosie made headlines last week when she asked for the public’s help in finding her 17-year-old daughter Chelsea, who had disappeared for seven days.

Chelsea was later found safe at the New Jersey home of 25-year-old Steven Sheerer, who was arrested on Friday and charged with child endangerment.

Sunday night, O’Donnell tweeted the phrase “through him – with him – in him…” on her Twitter account, alongside a photo of a collage of black and white pictures with the word “hurts”.