Sharon Horgan is left devastated as her father John dies after a battle with cancer as his funeral details are revealed

Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan’s father passed away earlier this week.

The Irish actress and writer, 53, is mourning her father John, a farmer from New Zealand, after he died following a battle with cancer.

The family, including Sharon’s mother Ursula and four siblings, will bury John on Tuesday in the village of Termonfeckin in Lough.

His heartbroken family announced this week: ‘The death has occurred of John (Donald) Horgan of Strand Rd, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, formerly of Bellewstown, London and Christchurch, New Zealand.

‘He was a much loved husband to Ursula, father to Maria, Sharon, Lorraine, Shane and Mark and grandfather to Sadhbhy, Amer, Marianne, Charlie, Sadie, Neala, Joni and Aoibh.

The Irish actress and writer, 53, is mourning her father John (pictured), a farmer from New Zealand, after he died following a battle with cancer

‘The funeral to celebrate the life of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and dear friend will take place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Termonfeckin, on Tuesday 2 January 2024 at 1pm.’

This was reported by a source close to the family The sun that John had been ill for some time before he died, explaining: ‘The whole family was with him when he died. He was a very proud father, they are a very close unit as a family.

‘He loved that none of his children let their fame go to their heads and that they all ate very level-headed.

“He was firm but fair and they all loved him. They are a very private family and are not sure how they will deal with his passing.”

Sharon previously reflected on her father’s unlikely career change when she moved home from Britain at a young age.

She recalled: ‘I was born in London and when I was very little my family owned a pub in the East End – the deep East End where the Kray brothers worked.

‘One day someone came to my father and asked him to give an alibi for something very serious.

‘Then my parents decided to move my sister and me to Ireland.’

‘I don’t know how you make that leap into turkey farming. But I think he was trying to find something that would work for us as a family.”

Sharon later made a short comedy film, The Week Before Christmas, about the busiest time of year in the Horgan household.

The family, including Sharon’s mother Ursula and four siblings, will bury John on Tuesday in the village of Termonfeckin in Lough.

Sharon previously joked that despite critical acclaim for her TV work – including her BAFTA-winning show Bad Sisters – she would never be able to match her brother Shane’s sporting achievements in front of her rugby-mad dad.

Sharon supported her Catastrophe co-star Rob Delaney (both pictured in the show), after his son Henry died in 2018 when he was just two years old, following a battle with a brain tumor

She also joked that despite critical acclaim for her TV work, she would never be able to match her brother Shane’s sporting achievements in the eyes of her rugby-mad father.

Sharon said: “As for Shane, our dad is New Zealander, so can you imagine how proud he is to have a rugby player’s son?

‘Of course they are also proud of me. But it’s just TV, you know, it’s not like I’m doing anything important like saving the world! Or play rugby!’

Sharon also supported her Catastrophe co-star Rob Delaney after his son Henry died in 2018 when he was just two years old after battling a brain tumor.