MARGO O’DONNELL SAYS FAMILY HAS LOST A “PURE DIAMOND” AFTER HEARTBREAKING DEATH OF NEPHEW FRANKIE
In a deeply emotional tribute, Irish country legend Margo O’Donnell has spoken of her family’s sorrow following the death of her beloved nephew Frankie “Bosco” O’Donnell, describing him as “a pure diamond.” Frankie passed away in January after a brave four-year battle with cancer, leaving behind his devoted wife Lisa, their three children Sarah, Logan, and Ryan, and a heartbroken extended family who adored him beyond measure.
For Margo, the loss cuts especially deep. “It was like a State funeral,” she recalled softly. “There were people lined up along the road from Frankie’s house to the church, clapping as his coffin passed by. It was something I never saw in Donegal before. It’s a true saying, ‘their hearts are like their mountains in the hills of Donegal.’”
That outpouring of love reflected the kind of person Frankie was — kind, warm, and cherished by everyone who knew him. Known affectionately by family and friends as “Bosco,” he faced his illness with quiet strength and dignity, never losing his sense of humor or his gentle spirit. “He fought bravely to the end and got the hero’s send-off he deserved,” Margo said with pride and sadness mingling in her voice.
Frankie was named after his grandfather — Margo and her brother Daniel O’Donnell’s father — and Margo said she often saw a remarkable resemblance between them. “Daniel has the spiritual side to him where he likes to sing the Gospel songs. I can see my father in Daniel, but I could see my father’s double in Frankie,” she shared with the Sunday World.
She went on to reflect on the painful toll of his illness. “It’s terrible, the effect that Frankie’s sickness and his death has had on us all,” she said. “What has been taken from us is pure gold, but I wouldn’t wish Frankie to suffer one more second of what he suffered for four years.”
Margo and Frankie shared a special bond that began when he was just a small boy. “Frankie always called me Mannie,” she smiled through tears. “He couldn’t say Margaret when he was wee — it came out as Mannie, and it stuck for the rest of his life.”
One of her most cherished memories came just a week before Frankie’s passing. “We had a photograph taken together by his wife, Lisa,” she recalled. “He pulled me close and said, ‘This will be the last photograph, Mannie.’ He knew he was going.”
Despite his illness, Frankie devoted his final years to creating memories that would last forever for his wife and children. “I sent them to Disneyland,” Margo shared proudly. “And last May, he was able to take Logan and Ryan to see his beloved Celtic win the Scottish Cup Final. That’s a wonderful memory they’ll always have with their dad.”
For Margo, gratitude now lives beside grief. “We have lost a pure diamond,” she said. “But we have to be grateful that we had him for the time we did. We were blessed to have him.”
Her brother, Daniel O’Donnell, also shared the heartbreaking news on social media, expressing the family’s collective grief. “It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my dear nephew Frankie (Bosco) O’Donnell,” Daniel wrote. “Frankie passed away this morning surrounded by his family. He will be sadly missed by his wife Lisa and their children Sarah, Logan, and Ryan, his parents — my brother John and his wife Bridget — and Frankie’s brother Joey and all the extended family. Thank you for all your prayers over the past few months, and I would ask you to keep his family in your prayers at this very difficult time.”
In Donegal, where family ties run deep and love lasts forever, the memory of Frankie “Bosco” O’Donnell will continue to shine — just as Margo said — like a pure diamond that will never lose its light.