A young girl who met her idol Ed Sheeran in Cork last weekend has died suddenly.
Aoibhe O’Connor, an 11-year-old girl from Mogeely in Cork, passed away on Wednesday. She suffered a cardiac arrest after a minor fall.
She had been living with mucolipidosis, a rare genetic condition.
Aoibhe attended the first of Ed Sheeran’s three concerts in Cork last Friday night and was lucky enough to have a meet-and-greet with the star.
It was arranged by the girls’ father John with a little help from Cork’s 96FM.
John got in touch with the radio station’s breakfast show host KC with the hope of making his daughter’s dream to meet Ed a reality.
KC contacted Aiken Promotions who in turn managed get Aoibhe and Lauren backstage.
This is Aoibhe, she’s Corks biggest Ed Sheeran Fan. Her Dad John contacted @kcshowcork in the hope of meeting Ed last Friday night. With the help of @aikenpromotions her dream came true. We will find out how the big meeting went tomorrow morning after 8am on Corks 96FM ❤️ pic.twitter.com/EUVYM4cxww
— Cork’s 96FM (@Corks96FM) May 7, 2018
Ed invited the whole family including mum Mum and dad John to come and say hello before he went on stage to kick off his European tour.
John told the Irish Examiner that Ed chatted to the girls about their favourite music and couldn’t have been more accommodating.
Aoibhe was an ambassador for Bumbleance, the children’s ambulance charity.
Its co-founder Tony Heffernan has paid tribute to the youngster, saying she was “full of laughter and joy.”
“I am personally shocked and very sad. I know what it’s like to lose a child. There are just no words,” he said.
“Aoibhe was a powerful little package, full of laughter and joy. I have reached out to her parents and family to tell them that we are here to provide whatever support we can as they prepare for that lonely walk with their child.”
