NHL great Claude Lemieux’s son Brendan broke his silence following his father’s death from an apparent suicide at age 60.
“I love you dad!” Brendan, 30, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, May 28. “My son’s favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you ♥️.” The message was accompanied by a recent photo of Brendan, his father and Brendan’s son, Luc, who was born in March 2025.
Brendan played seven seasons in the NHL from 2017 to 2024 with the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes.
Us Weekly reported on Thursday, that the four-time Stanley Cup champion was found dead by his adult son in a Florida warehouse at around 3:00 a.m. His family was reportedly worried when Lemieux did not come home and sent one of his three sons to check on him.
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Lemieux’s death to Us following a statement from the NHL Alumni Association. The hockey star is also survived by his wife, Deborah, daughter Claudia, and sons Christopher and Michael.
Lemieux’s death came just three days after he served as a torchbearer at Game 3 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes in Montreal on Monday, May 25.
Lemieux played 21 seasons in the NHL, most famously for the Canadiens from 1983 to 1990. He had memorable stints with the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche before retiring from professional hockey in 2009.
In light of his death, Canadiens owner Geoff Molson described Thursday as “a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community.”
“I wish to express my most sincere and deepest condolences to Claude’s family and loved ones,” Molson, 54, added. “A fierce competitor who rose to the occasion in big moments, Claude was a relentless, courageous, and tenacious player who led the team to the highest honors. He embodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player. Today we mourn the untimely passing of one of our champions. Our thoughts are with his family on this difficult day.”
A statement from the NHL said in part, “He was loved by his wife and four children, and on behalf of the Lemieux family, we kindly ask that everyone respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Lemieux’s death had a profound impact on his native Canada. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette described Lemieux’s death as a “great loss” and acknowledged his status as a Canadian hero.
“Claude Lemieux, he was my generation,” Fréchette, 55, wrote via X. “A striking figure in our hockey, a player with heart in his belly. His death seems so sudden, just a few days after seeing him proudly carry the torch at the Bell Centre. My thoughts are with his loved ones.”
In addition to his NHL legacy, Lemieux later became a prominent sports agent who represented hockey stars such as the Detroit Red Wings’ Moritz Seider, the Devils’ Timo Meier, the Boston Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm and Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
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