Daniel O’Donnell is still reeling over the death of his sister.
The ‘Follow Your Dream’ singer, 61, was left devastated when his older sibling Kathleen Doogan unexpectedly passed away aged 67 in February.
He said about her death: “It was a big shock for us all. We still can’t get our heads around the fact that she is gone – she wasn’t old, she was 67 and died very suddenly.
“But I suppose, what can we do about these things?
“You have to accept it, I suppose, even though it’s not easy to accept.
“We have to be grateful for the life we had with her and the memories that we have of her.”
Daniel insisted Kathleen’s death hasn’t left him dwelling on his mortality.
He said: “I don’t know who I’d like to be remembered – everybody in life would like to think they lived a good life, and that’s the thing.”
Daniel’s added his fervent Christian belief sees him go to church every week.
But he said despite his belief in an afterlife he has never felt Kathleen’s spirit with him since her death.
The crooner added: “I’ve had nothing happen like that.”
Daniel also said he feels blessed to have come through Covid relatively unscathed.
He added: “I did get it once. But it wasn’t bad. I have been very fortunate with everything in life. There’s nobody who goes through life without ups and downs, but for the most part I’ve been very fortunate, thank God.”
Daniel added that even though he has strong Christian beliefs he doesn’t spend a second thinking about or criticising today’s ultra-sexualised acts such as Miley Cyrus.
He said: “I just enjoy what I do and most people enjoy it. There’s a place for all music and people like all different types. I’ve been fortunate I’ve had a good following down the years.
“I don’t really think about other entertainers – there is a place for everybody irrespective of what type of music.
“There is a place for everyone who is successful – there’s somebody that likes them and that’s why people are successful.”
Daniel also insisted he doesn’t dwell on the fact artists are complaining they are getting ripped off by streaming platforms.
He said: “Obviously everything has changed in that respect but I’m not the kind of person that looks at what I don’t have.
“I’m just grateful for the career that I’ve had. I don’t think about what I’m losing out on because of this and that – everything is what it is in life and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“I was lucky in that I came up when there were albums and touring, but what can you do about it? There’s no way around it.”
Daniel is currently on his ‘How Lucky I Must Be’ tour. Tickets and more information are available at danielodonnell.org, and his new single ‘How Lucky I Must Be’ is taken from his forthcoming album of the same name, due for release on 3 November.
