Not all rock stars have perfect and flawless lives. In fact, most have tragic stories, such as the Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil. The rocker was devastated when his daughter passed away, just two years after his divorce. Here is what we know about the rocker’s daughter and why she passed.
Why Did Skylar Pass Away?
Neil, with his then-wife Sharise Ruddell, a mud wrestler and fashion model, had their daughter Skylar Lynnae Neil in 1991. Two years after having her, the couple filed for divorce. Two years after the divorce, at the tender age of four, Vince’s daughter received a cancer diagnosis. Skylar had to stay in hospital for months before succumbing to the disease.
Skylar’s hospitalization was initially thought to be a burst appendix, revealing a cancerous tumor that had ruptured in her abdomen, rapidly spreading throughout her body and tragically leading to her demise. The rocker learned of his daughter’s hospitalization immediately after a celebrity motor race when his then-wife informed him of their child’s critical condition.
Meanwhile, Vince was entangled in a legal dispute stemming from his separation from Motley Crue. Additionally, his relationship with Skylar’s mother, Sharise Ruddell, was strained as they navigated the complexities of an impending divorce.
Neil Wanted to Die After His Daughter’s Passing
Facing not only the passing of his daughter but also a lawsuit and a divorce at the same time, with these challenges, Neil wrote in his memoir that he grappled with intense anger, resorting to excessive drug and alcohol consumption. In fact, he wanted to commit suicide. In an interview with TV show Celebrity Ghost Stories, the rocker shared his way of coping:
“After we buried her I sedated myself on pills and alcohol. I couldn’t take it. For months I really tried to kill myself. I wanted to die. It went on for two years after she passed away – I was in eight or nine rehabs. I felt she was waiting for me, and the only place I wanted to go was to her.”
That’s when he claimed that he saw his daughter in his house though she had passed:
“One night I was lying in bed with her blanket, still wanting to die. I was sound asleep – and there was a little tug on the blanket. I woke up, opened my eyes and the door was open. I was scared. I didn’t know what was going on – but it was her.”
A Memorial Fund for Skylar
After her passing, Vince Neil founded the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund to honor her memory, actively raising awareness and funding for a variety of illnesses of children. Named The T.J. Martell Foundation, it has received millions of dollars in contributions from the memorial fund.
The Foundation organizes a golf tournament annually with the primary goal of generating funds to support children facing cancer.
