Cork-born John Dineen, originally from Waterfall in Cork City, has passed away after an illness at Cork’s Marymount Hospice.
His girlfriend and rumoured fiancee, Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery, is said to be devastated, the Irish Examiner reports.
Michelle and John are said to have been introduced in 2013 by Allen Leech, who plays a chauffeur on the hit ITV show.
They kept their relationship relatively private, but made headlines earlier this year when rumours started swirling that the pair were engaged.
In a 2014 interview, Michelle revealed: “I have a wonderful man in my life from Ireland. We were introduced by Allen Leech. That’s all you need to know.”
The funeral service for Dineen, who was a senior director at FTI Consulting, will take place in Cork tomorrow morning.
