A man who witnessed the UVF murder of his pregnant mother as a young boy, and who also lost two of his brothers in accidents, has died after a sudden illness.
Patrick O'Hagan, from Greencastle in Co Tyrone, was just eight when loyalists shot dead his mother Kathleen and her unborn child in 1994.
The 34-year-old fell ill on Sunday and was taken to hospital on Tuesday. He underwent an operation but died on Thursday.
Funeral arrangements are still being finalised and the cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
West Tyrone Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer, a close family friend, said Mr O'Hagan had suffered huge tragedy in his life, including the loss of two of his four brothers.
"His baby brother Thomas (4) died in a fire in a shed three years after Kathleen was murdered. He had been in a cot in the room where she was killed," he said.
"Niall (19) was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2008.
"His father Paddy died very suddenly of a heart attack in 2002.
"Patrick's death has come as a great shock. He was very well-known in the community and despite all of the hardship that he endured he was always smiling and always positive.
"He didn't drive so frequently hitched a lift in and out from Omagh. People would have lifted him and they would have had good craic.
"The sense of grief and sadness is unbelievable."
Mr O'Hagan is survived by his brothers Damien and Raymond, who both live in Australia.
The O'Hagan family believe there was security force collusion in Kathleen O'Hagan's murder, which is thought to have been ordered by former Mid-Ulster UVF commander Billy Wright.
It is understood loyalists came to the house to look for Patrick's father Paddy, a former republican prisoner.
Patrick O'Hagan spoke at an event last year, organised by Relatives for Justice (RFJ), to mark the 25th anniversary of his mother's murder.
No-one has ever been convicted for the killing.
"The family has been so hard done by," Mr McAleer said.
"This was triggered by Kathleen's death all those years ago. Patrick was a victim of the conflict, there's no question about that.
"There hasn't been a proper investigation into Kathleen's murder and there are a lot of questions. We are pressing very strongly for an investigation."
Mr McAleer said Sinn Féin and RFJ had planned an open session to gather information from the community about Mrs O'Hagan's death but that had been delayed due to Covid.
"The getaway car was on fire. It was a dark night in the middle of the country - how was it not seen?" he said.
"There are questions that the family want answers to and unfortunately Patrick hasn't lived to get those answers. There's probably a greater resolve now in the community to get those answers.
"Twenty-five years ago there was a happy family, five boys and Kathleen was pregnant with her sixth child. It's all gone now. It's so, so sad."
