{"id":2073,"date":"2026-01-03T22:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073"},"modified":"2026-01-03T22:56:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:56:41","slug":"big-character-bodybuilder-passes-away-aged-41-as-fellow-strongman-eddie-hall-pays-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Big character&#8217; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_d61b39\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Tributes have poured in after the tragic loss of the &#8216;Limerick Lion&#8217;, an Irish bodybuilder described by fellow strongman Eddie Hall as &#8216;one of the funniest characters the world was ever blessed with&#8217;<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span data-testid=\"byline-content\" class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">21:07, 03 Jan 2026<\/span><span class=\"Byline_updated-date__8vEV8 Byline_updated-date-with-published__ApG_G\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 21:09, 03 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36493160\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493160.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\" alt=\"Pa O\u2019Dwyer with Eddie Hall\" loading=\"eager\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493160.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493160.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493160.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageEmbed_fig-caption__qotOK\"><span class=\"ImageEmbed_camera-style__Qjeby\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"none\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_209_94274)\"><path opacity=\"0.16\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M14 4H2V10.6667C2 11.403 2.59695 12 3.33333 12H12.6667C13.403 12 14 11.403 14 10.6667V4ZM8 10C9.10457 10 10 9.10457 10 8C10 6.89543 9.10457 6 8 6C6.89543 6 6 6.89543 6 8C6 9.10457 6.89543 10 8 10Z\" fill=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\"\/><path d=\"M2 3.33331H14V11.3333C14 12.0697 13.403 12.6666 12.6667 12.6666H3.33333C2.59695 12.6666 2 12.0697 2 11.3333V3.33331Z\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><circle cx=\"8\" cy=\"8\" r=\"2\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M11.3332 1.33331L12.6665 1.33331\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"clip0_209_94274\"><rect width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"ImageEmbed_caption-title__FSINC\">Pa O\u2019Dwyer with Eddie Hall, who described the Irish strongman as &#8216;one of the funniest characters the world was ever blessed with&#8217;<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Pa O&#8217;Dwyer, a giant in UK strongman contests, has died at the age of 41, winning heartfelt tributes from fellow competitors who praised his warm character and sense of humour, as well as the raw power that won him Ireland\u2019s Strongest Man title a record five times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">After growing up working on a farm in Rathkeale, the &#8220;Limerick Lion&#8221; worked on the roads through his early twenties before turning to weight training. He established himself as one of Europe&#8217;s top strongmen and won the UK\u2019s Strongest Man competition in 2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Retired strongman <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/latest\/eddie-hall\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\">Eddie Hall<\/a> described him in an Instagram post as: &#8220;A true strongman, an even better human, and one of the funniest characters the world was ever blessed with.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36493158\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36493158\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.19\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493158.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\" alt=\"Pa O'Dwyer's sudden passing has drawn tributes for his 'laughter and warmth' as well as the strength that won him the title of the UK's strongest man \" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493158.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493158.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493158.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageEmbed_fig-caption__qotOK\"><span class=\"ImageEmbed_camera-style__Qjeby\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"none\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_209_94274)\"><path opacity=\"0.16\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M14 4H2V10.6667C2 11.403 2.59695 12 3.33333 12H12.6667C13.403 12 14 11.403 14 10.6667V4ZM8 10C9.10457 10 10 9.10457 10 8C10 6.89543 9.10457 6 8 6C6.89543 6 6 6.89543 6 8C6 9.10457 6.89543 10 8 10Z\" fill=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\"\/><path d=\"M2 3.33331H14V11.3333C14 12.0697 13.403 12.6666 12.6667 12.6666H3.33333C2.59695 12.6666 2 12.0697 2 11.3333V3.33331Z\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><circle cx=\"8\" cy=\"8\" r=\"2\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M11.3332 1.33331L12.6665 1.33331\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"clip0_209_94274\"><rect width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"ImageEmbed_caption-title__FSINC\">Pa O&#8217;Dwyer&#8217;s sudden passing has drawn tributes for his &#8216;laughter and warmth&#8217; as well as the strength that won him the title of the UK&#8217;s strongest man <\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Eddie Hall, who won the World&#8217;s Strongest Man in 2017 along with several national contests, said he was &#8220;absolutely devastated&#8221; to hear of Pa O\u2019Dwyer&#8217;s passing. &#8220;Pa brought strength, laughter and warmth wherever he went,&#8221; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;He genuinely was one of life\u2019s biggest characters and everyone who ever met him would have a story to tell I\u2019m sure. UK\u2019s &amp; Irelands <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/latest\/body-building\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\">strongest man<\/a> was one of many titles he held but his most important and his most proud title was \u2018Dad\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Pa leaves behind 3 beautiful children, Sienna, Rocco and Freddy and partner Layna, who he loved more than life itself he would always say.&#8221; Eddie also shared a link for a <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/pa-odwyer-family-and-future\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\">GoFundMe<\/a> campaign for Pa&#8217;s memorial and to help his family.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36493157\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36493157\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493157.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\" alt=\"Pa O\u2019Dwyer\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493157.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493157.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493157.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Pa-ODwyer.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageEmbed_fig-caption__qotOK\"><span class=\"ImageEmbed_camera-style__Qjeby\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"none\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_209_94274)\"><path opacity=\"0.16\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M14 4H2V10.6667C2 11.403 2.59695 12 3.33333 12H12.6667C13.403 12 14 11.403 14 10.6667V4ZM8 10C9.10457 10 10 9.10457 10 8C10 6.89543 9.10457 6 8 6C6.89543 6 6 6.89543 6 8C6 9.10457 6.89543 10 8 10Z\" fill=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\"\/><path d=\"M2 3.33331H14V11.3333C14 12.0697 13.403 12.6666 12.6667 12.6666H3.33333C2.59695 12.6666 2 12.0697 2 11.3333V3.33331Z\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><circle cx=\"8\" cy=\"8\" r=\"2\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M11.3332 1.33331L12.6665 1.33331\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-primary-default)\" stroke-width=\"1.33333\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"clip0_209_94274\"><rect width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"ImageEmbed_caption-title__FSINC\">Pa grew up on a farm and worked on the roads before taking up weightlifting and establishing his strongman career<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Online tributes shared shock at the strongman&#8217;s sudden death, praising him as &#8220;such a funny likeable man&#8221; who had only recently shared a reel of himself playing with Lego with his son. A post on Reddit read: &#8220;This legitimately makes me so sad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;He was such an incredibly kind and empathetic human. I cannot fathom this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Another commented: &#8220;He seemed such a gent And a true great of Irish <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/sport\/\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\">sport<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Pa rose through the ranks of the professional circuit, becoming a regular competitor on the Giants Live tour and qualifying for the World\u2019s Strongest Man contest in 2020. He is also remembered for entertaining fans on social media and television with his warm personality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Irish Strength Association issued a statement describing him as &#8220;a legend in strength sports in Ireland&#8221;. Giants Live, the primary qualifying tour for the World&#8217;s Strongest Man, said: &#8220;Pa brought strength, laughter, and warmth wherever he went.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He truly was one of life\u2019s larger-than-life personalities, and anyone who met him will surely have a story to tell.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our <\/strong><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/newsletter-preference-centre\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">newsletters<\/strong><\/a><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/news\/latest-news\/big-character-bodybuilder-passes-away-36493145\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tributes have poured in after the tragic loss of the &#8216;Limerick Lion&#8217;, an Irish bodybuilder described by fellow strongman Eddie Hall as &#8216;one of the funniest characters the world was ever blessed with&#8217; 21:07, 03 Jan 2026Updated 21:09, 03 Jan 2026 Pa O\u2019Dwyer with Eddie Hall, who described the Irish strongman as &#8216;one of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":2074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Big character&#039; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;Big character&#039; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tributes have poured in after the tragic loss of the &#8216;Limerick Lion&#8217;, an Irish bodybuilder described by fellow strongman Eddie Hall as &#8216;one of the funniest characters the world was ever blessed with&#8217; 21:07, 03 Jan 2026Updated 21:09, 03 Jan 2026 Pa O\u2019Dwyer with Eddie Hall, who described the Irish strongman as &#8216;one of the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-03T22:56:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493160.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Piers Evans\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Piers Evans\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Piers Evans\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f6f57791008c0c992ede249a7f5c4b1b\"},\"headline\":\"&#8216;Big character&#8217; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-03T22:56:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073\"},\"wordCount\":571,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073\",\"name\":\"'Big character' bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute - World Bodybuilding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-03T22:56:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f6f57791008c0c992ede249a7f5c4b1b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=2073#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8216;Big character&#8217; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"description\":\"Data, Rankings, Results.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f6f57791008c0c992ede249a7f5c4b1b\",\"name\":\"Piers Evans\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Piers Evans\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?author=40\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Big character' bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute - World Bodybuilding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Big character' bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute - World Bodybuilding News","og_description":"Tributes have poured in after the tragic loss of the &#8216;Limerick Lion&#8217;, an Irish bodybuilder described by fellow strongman Eddie Hall as &#8216;one of the funniest characters the world was ever blessed with&#8217; 21:07, 03 Jan 2026Updated 21:09, 03 Jan 2026 Pa O\u2019Dwyer with Eddie Hall, who described the Irish strongman as &#8216;one of the [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073","og_site_name":"World Bodybuilding News","article_published_time":"2026-01-03T22:56:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36493160.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Piers Evans","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Piers Evans","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073"},"author":{"name":"Piers Evans","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f6f57791008c0c992ede249a7f5c4b1b"},"headline":"&#8216;Big character&#8217; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute","datePublished":"2026-01-03T22:56:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073"},"wordCount":571,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073","name":"'Big character' bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute - World Bodybuilding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-03T22:56:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f6f57791008c0c992ede249a7f5c4b1b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Pa-ODwyer.jpg","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=2073#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8216;Big character&#8217; bodybuilder passes away aged 41 as fellow strongman Eddie Hall pays tribute"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/","name":"World Bodybuilding News","description":"Data, Rankings, Results.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f6f57791008c0c992ede249a7f5c4b1b","name":"Piers Evans","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","caption":"Piers Evans"},"url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?author=40"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}