Boy George’s “beloved” mother, Dinah O’Dowd, has died, leaving the star – who was present during her final moments – totally devastated. Her death comes just months after the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2022 contestant vowed he would have walked out as soon as Matt Hancock arrived if his mum had died during her hospital stay in lockdown.

Boy George’s mum was admitted to hospital with heart and lung issues back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, and was released after a two-day stay.

Sadly, Dinah has now died, while Boy George was in the room alongside her, clutching her hand in his.

In a statement published on DailyMail.co.uk, the star’s manager clarified the sad news.

“‘I am very sad to confirm the news of the passing of Boy George’s beloved mother Dinah,” he wrote, adding: “George is devastated as are the family.

READ NOW: Star Trek’s William Shatner says ‘I don’t have long to live’

“They were all by her bedside when she passed and George was holding her hand.

“He wants me to extend his deep gratitude to the huge outpouring of love and support he is receiving and whilst he can’t respond he feels grateful and the messages help.”

The statement concluded: “George and his family would politely now request some privacy to be able to grieve and come to terms with their heartbreaking loss.”

George had previously spoken of his relief that Dinah had spent just days in hospital after her issues in 2020, which were not related to Covid.

He had expressed his concern to Lorraine Kelly on her show that, aged 82, it was “not the best place for her to be”.

During her stay, George had pleaded publicly on Twitter for the staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich to take care of his much-loved mother.

Terrified that she would succumb to the virus, he wrote: “[She has] a problem with her heart or lungs.

“She’s stable but they have said they won’t resuscitate her if things go wrong? Apparently, it won’t work? How can they know. Please pray! @LG_NHS.”

However, he poignantly recalled being able to connect with her over the phone, and use his famous voice to comfort her – and he wasn’t the only one singing.

He recalled: “There was this really beautiful moment where this nurse was singing to mum, and my mum said ‘I can’t hear you, take your mask off!'”

Following her brief hospital stay, Dinah had been able to survive for almost three more years.

Today, George’s pal DJ Fat Tony honoured his mum on Instagram, writing: “God bless you you amazing woman Dinah…. my heart goes out to @boygeorgeofficial and the entire O Dowd family.” (sic)

He added: “What an incredible beautiful strong woman – we will miss you x.”

Boy George now has no surviving parents, following the death of his dad Jeremiah back in 2004.

The star previously revealed on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories that family life with the O’Dowd patriarch had been difficult, and that he’d once had to rescue his mum after she took an overdose.

“She took pills. I remember sort of keeping her awake and not really understanding what had happened,” he recalled of the traumatising moment in his youth.

He added that he’d begged Dinah to leave his father from the age of nine, saying: “My dad was quite an extreme man.

“[He] could lose his temper and chuck the entire Sunday dinner over and everybody went hungry,” he continued.

“He hit us all the time, punched us, but everyone in the 70s punched you. It happened a lot.

“It wasn’t until I got to about 15 or 16 that I realised how strong my mum was.”

Source: Read Full Article