Claudia Lemieux Bishop, the only daughter of late NHL legend Claude Lemieux, emotionally reacted to his death by suicide.
“No words to express the level of devastation we feel,” Claudia, 28, wrote via her Instagram Story on Thursday, May 28. “I love you forever daddy. Forever your only girl 💔.”
Claude’s death was confirmed to Us Weekly on Thursday by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office. His body was found by one of his sons early Thursday morning at a furniture warehouse in Florida owned by the Lemieux family.
The NHL icon is also survived by his wife, Deborah, and sons Brendan, Christopher and Michael. It is not clear which of Claude’s sons was responsible for locating his body.
Brendan, 30, broke his silence about his father’s death on Thursday, sharing a recent photo of the pair with Claude holding Brendan’s 14-month-old son, Luc.
“I love you dad!” Brendan wrote via Instagram. “My son’s favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you ♥️.”
Brendan followed in his father’s footsteps, playing seven seasons in the NHL from 2017 to 2024.
Claudia’s husband, baseball player Hunter Bishop, also remembered his late father-in-law on Thursday.
“Rest in peace to a truly amazing man,” Bishop wrote via Instagram. “Words can’t even begin to describe how much you meant to everyone. Love you big man 👼🏽.”
Claudia commented on the post, “Love you baby.”
Bishop and Claudia got married in January 2024 before welcoming a baby girl in February.
“The love of our life 💗,” Claudia shared via Instagram at the time. “I want to live in the newborn bubble forever and ever with you. It’s been the most special and beautiful first weeks of our lives. We love you more than you could ever even imagine baby girl. You are our everything and more 🎀.”
Claude, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, played 21 seasons in the NHL, most notably with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.
He was last seen in public on Monday, May 25, when he acted as the torch bearer for the Canadiens before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and one of the greatest big-game Players in hockey history,” NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, said in a statement on Thursday.
Bettman, 73, added, “Overall, his teams reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 15 straight seasons; his 234 postseason games played rank sixth in NHL history; and his 80 career Playoff goals rank ninth. In recent years, as a player agent, he has represented some of the top stars in the NHL. We send our deepest condolences to Claude’s wife, Deborah, and his four children, Brendan, Claudia, Michael and Christopher.”
