Rosie O’Donnell’s Father Dead at 81

Edward Joseph O’Donnell had battled cancer

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Edward Joseph O’Donnell, the father of comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell, has died following a battle with cancer, a spokeswoman for O’Donnell told TheWrap on Monday. He was 81.

The elder O’Donnell, who emigrated to the United States from Ireland, had worked as an aerospace electrical engineer.

Her mother, Roseann O’Donnell, died in 1973 after battling breast cancer. According to a biography for the comedian, the family matriarch’s death caused her father to become emotionally distant from the family.

Edward O’Donnell is survived by five children.

The death comes at a tumultuous time for the comedian, whose teenage daughter went missing last week. The teenager was subsequently found, a week after she was last seen. The man she was found with has been arrested on charges of 3rd Degree Distribution of Obscenity to a Minor and 3rd Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

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