Christopher Lemieux, son of late NHL icon Claude Lemieux, shared a poignant message as he remembered his father after his death by suicide on Thursday, May 28.
“Sometimes life has a brutal way of reminding you to appreciate what you have before it becomes a memory,” Christopher wrote via Instagram on Friday, May 29. “I’ll miss you dad ❤️.”
Christopher, a Montreal-based DJ, shared a black-and-white photo where he held his father’s hand on the ice during his time with the New Jersey Devils, both of them wearing jerseys emblazoned with their last name across the back.
“Rest in peace champ 🕊️,” Christopher wrote via his Instagram Story on Friday, alongside a picture of him and his late dad playing hockey in a driveway during Christopher’s childhood.
Claude died by apparent suicide early Thursday morning, the Palm Beach Medical’s Examiner confirmed to Us Weekly on Thursday afternoon.
His body was found by one of his sons in a furniture warehouse in Florida owned by the Lemieux family.
In addition to Christopher, Claude is survived by his wife, Deborah, sons Brendan and Michael, and daughter Claudia. It is not known which one of Claude’s sons found his body.
Brendan — who played seven seasons in the NHL — broke his silence about his father’s death on Thursday evening, sharing a recent photo of himself and his father, 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 ♥️.”
Claudia also addressed her father’s sudden passing on Friday.
“No words to express the level of devastation we feel,” she shared via her Instagram Story. “I love you forever daddy. Forever your only girl 💔.”
Claudia’s husband, baseball player Hunter Bishop, reacted to the death of his father-in-law by sharing a photo of the pair from a golf outing earlier this year.
“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 👼🏽.”
Claude, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, played 21 seasons in the NHL from 1983 to 2009, most notably with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.
After retiring from hockey, Claude found major success as a sports agent, representing NHL players like the Detroit Red Wings’ Moritz Seider, the Boston Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm and Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
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