PHILOMENA Lynott, mother of the late Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, has died at the age of 88.
The Crumlin woman passed away this morning after battling cancer for several years.
She had made the decision not to undergo therapy chemotherapy and knew her condition was terminal for some time, according to Hot Press.
Ms Lynott was working as a nurse in England when she gave birth to iconic rocker Philip in West Bromwich on August 20, 1949. She was just 18 at the time.
Philip's father, Cecil Parris, was originally from Guyana and had been in a short relationship with Philomena the previous year before leaving for London.
After her son was born, Philomena moved with him to a home for unmarried mothers in southwest Birmingham – where he was baptised on September 4, 1949. She subsequently moved to Manchester but stayed in touch with Cecil, who helped pay towards his son's support.
Philomena with a young Philip in Manchester before he moved to Crumlin, Dublin (Image: File)After suffering racial prejudice in England because Philip was mixed race, she later decided it would be best for the schoolboy to be raised by her parents Frank and Sarah Lynott in Dublin.
Philomena stayed in Manchester but remained close to her son throughout his life, feeling they were more like sister and brother or best friends rather than having a conventional mother and son relationship.
Phil had a happy childhood growing up in Crumlin and was a popular character at school, which relieved Philomena after the racial prejudice they suffered in the UK.
She later gave birth to two other children – Philomena (born March 1951) and Leslie (born June 1952) – who she had to give up for adoption.
Niall Stokes, editor of Hot Press, paid tribute to Ms Lynott as a "formidable and brilliant woman".
Phil died aged just 36 in 1986 from pneumonia and heart failure caused by septicaemia (Image: Getty)He added: "I am really proud that we were able to participate in telling her remarkable story. Because she was indeed a remarkable woman.
"She was hugely determined and courageous – and absolutely committed to the campaign to ensure that Philip’s memory was kept alive and his legacy celebrated."
Philomena only revealed the full story behind her two adoptions in the second edition of her autobiography My Boy, which was published in 2011.
The book, written with Jackie Hayden, was a two-time No.1 best seller and told her extraordinary life story – including how she dealt with Phil's untimely death aged just 36 on January 4, 1986 from pneumonia and heart failure caused by septicaemia in the wake of his drug and alcohol dependency.
In her later years, Philomena campaigned to keep her son's legacy alive and was successful in her bid to have a now iconic statue of Phil erected on Harry Street in Dublin city centre.
Her son remains one of the most recognisable names in the history of rock music, with Thin Lizzy hits such as Whiskey in the Jar, The Boys Are Back in Town and Jailbreak true classics in the genre.
