{"id":55761,"date":"2026-05-29T22:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T22:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/55761\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T22:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T22:53:08","slug":"former-nhl-great-claude-lemieux-hanged-himself-as-tragic-new-details-emerge-authorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/55761\/","title":{"rendered":"Former NHL great Claude Lemieux hanged himself as tragic new details emerge: authorities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former NHL great Claude Lemieux<\/a> hanged himself, authorities told The Post on Friday.<\/p>\n

The body of the 60-year-old New Jersey Devils hockey legend and four-time Stanley Cup winner was found by one of his sons<\/a> in the back of the warehouse of his family\u2019s home-design business in Lake Park, Fla., at 3:32 a.m Thursday after he never returned home, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s Office statement.<\/p>\n

His daughter, Claudia Lemieux, 28, told The Post that her heartbroken family had gathered in Palm Beach where the family lived and was \u201cmeeting with a detective\u201d Friday morning.<\/p>\n

Workers at the family business meanwhile hugged and cried at the site Friday as fans stopped by to pay their respects.<\/p>\n

New Jersey Devils ice hockey legend Claude Lemieux died by suicide from hanging. AP Photo\/Bill Kostroun<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a hockey guy \u2014 hockey people are a different breed,\u201d said fan Bill Rodgers, 57, a Boston native who now lives in Lake Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys beat the s\u2013t out of each other then they shake hands after. \u2026 We brought flowers out of respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claudia wrote on her Instagram story<\/a> late Thursday, \u201cNo words to express the level of devastation we feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you forever daddy. Forever your only girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t clear which of Lemieux\u2019s three sons, Brendan, Michael or Christopher, discovered his body at the shop,\u00a0Andros Home,\u00a0which sells \u201crefined furnishings and architectural elements\u201d in the seaside city,\u00a0according to its website.<\/p>\n

Lemieux\u2019s body was discovered by one of his sons at their family business in Florida. Instagram \/ @brendan_lemieux<\/p>\n

Brendan, 30, a professional ice-hockey player for HC Davos in Switzerland, had also paid heartfelt tribute to his dad on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you dad! My son\u2019s favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

He shared the post with a photo, taken on the ice, of Claude\u00a0beaming as he held his grandson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Claudia\u2019s husband,\u00a0Hunter Bishop, also paid respect to his late father-in-law\u00a0\u00a0on social media, writing, \u201cRest in peace to a truly amazing man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWords can\u2019t even begin to describe how much you meant to everyone. Love you big man,\u201d he\u00a0posted on Instagram<\/a>, along with an image of them golfing.<\/p>\n

The tragic retired NHL champ \u2014 nicknamed \u201cPepe\u201d after the suave but pesky cartoon skunk Pep\u00e9 Le Pew \u2014\u00a0\u00a0won a 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy with the Devils, ranked ninth all-time with 80 postseason goals and was known for being an \u201cenforcer\u201d on the ice.<\/p>\n

Lemieux was a beast in skates but a teddy bear inside, former NHL player\u00a0Brendan Shanahan\u00a0told the\u00a0New York Times.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[He was] a\u00a0big crier. A big softie,\u201d the grieving buddy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSort of hidden behind that reputation on the ice, he was a very sweet and sensitive man,\u201d said\u00a0Shanahan,\u00a0who led the Detroit Red Wings through a bloody rivalry with\u00a0Lemieux and\u00a0the Colorado Avalanche in the 90s.<\/p>\n

The 60-year-old four-time Stanley Cup winner was found in the warehouse of his family\u2019s furniture store in Lake Park, Florida. Facebook\/AndrosHomeDesign<\/p>\n

Rogers said, \u201cThe way things are now with mental illness, you never know. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s horrible, and it sucks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just went to the shop, rang the bell and said, \u201cCan you make sure the family gets my flowers?\u201d the fan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen [the workers] invited me in, and we hugged and cried,\u201d Rogers said, noting that no family was there at the time.<\/p>\n

Lemieux\u2019s suicide came just days after he carried the torch in Montreal\u2019s Bell Centre to kick off Game 3 of the NHL\u2019s Eastern Conference finals Monday.<\/p>\n

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Known as a ruthless \u201cagitator,\u201d Lemieux won the first of his four Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, then earned two more with the\u00a0\u00a0Devils in 1995 and 2000 and one with the Avalanche in 1996.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the way he played, how hated he was,\u201d son Brendan told USA Today in 2014.\u00a0\u201cI just love that about him. I definitely want to follow in his footsteps. I want to be the guy that can step up and be that playoff performer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Devils said in a statement Thursday, \u201cA clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated\u00a0by Devils\u2019 fans off it, Claude\u2019s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWidely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Off the ice,\u00a0records show Lemieux\u00a0was cited for driving with a suspended license in Palm Beach Gardens in April 2025 and for speeding in January 2024 and paid fines.<\/p>\n

-Additional reporting by Zak Bennett<\/p>\n

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org<\/a> for free and confidential crisis counseling.<\/p>\n

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