Latest news with #Benefited
Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Actress begs for $300,000 to 'cryogenically preserve' teenage son's body after d
An Australian actress is asking for help to raise $300,000 (£143,000) to 'cryogenically preserve' her teenage son after he took his own life. Clare McCann has begged for support following the death of her son Atreyu, who died last week aged 13. Best known for appearing in the Channel [V] shows Blog Party and Clublife, Clare is also a regular on Sydney's social circuit and would bring her son with her to red carpet premieres. They also appeared together in the 2019 independent film Benefited, which she wrote, directed and starred in. However, this week Clare announced the heartbreaking news that her son had died by suicide after 'months of relentless bullying'. 'It's with shattered hearts that we share the passing of my beautiful son, Atreyu McCann. He was the brightest light in my world — kind, creative, and endlessly loved,' she wrote. 'Right now, we are grieving a loss that words can't hold. Please give us time and space as we process this unimaginable pain. 'Thank you to everyone who has supported and loved Atreyu. We'll share more when we're ready. For now, please hold him in your hearts.' The actress later went on to share another post 'humbly begging' people to 'help me preserve his life'. Clare explained that 'about six or seven years ago' she spoke to her son about 'the afterlife, heaven and cryogenics', which he said he'd 'like to do'. 'Over the years we talked about that that's what we would want to do together, never separate. He deserves a second chance to live the life he wanted,' she continued. The actress has since shared links to an online fundraiser she's set up on GoFundMe to 'allow him to live again'. The fundraiser, titled Help Preserve My Son After Bullying Tragedy, explains how Clare is 'urgently' trying to raise the money within a week or 'the opportunity for him to live again will be lost forever'. 'We only have one chance left to cryogenically preserve his body within the next 7 days. If we miss this window, we lose the chance for any future revival that science may offer. This is about hope and justice. Refusing to let my son's story end in silence,' she said. Clare went on to explain how the money would be spent on the process, as well as a trust in her son's name and a 'national campaign for anti-bullying education and reform'. 'I am a public figure with a national platform, and I will use every resource I have to make sure this never happens again, not just to my son, but to any other child failed by this system,' she continued. More Trending 'Please help us preserve our beloved Atreyu and give his life the dignity and future that his school stole from him. Share this campaign. Tell his story. And stand with us. We only have 7 days. Please act now.' The fundraiser has currently raised $3895 (£1869). The first cryonics facility opened in Australia last year, with the first person to be 'frozen' at its facility with the hopes of one day being revived being a man in his 80s. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Family of Pheobe Bishop, 17, missing in Australia living in 'cyclone of uncertainty' MORE: Kangaroo tries to 'drown a man in floodwater after throwing punches at him' MORE: Flooding in Australia leaves four dead and entire towns underwater
Sky News AU
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Aussie actress Clare McCann reveals her 'unimaginable pain' after 13-year-old son died by suicide amid 'horrendous bullying'
Australian actress Clare McCann has revealed her 13-year-old son Atreyu died by suicide after he was bullied at school. On Sunday, the 32-year-old took to Instagram to announce Atreyu McCann's passing, also sharing a photo of the teenager. "He was the brightest light in my world — kind, creative, and endlessly loved," McCann wrote. In a further update on Monday, she said Atreyu "suffered horrendous amounts of bullying" before his death and was "let down" by the schooling system. "As my worst nightmare has come to life my child's has been stolen," McAnn wrote. "It breaks my heart beyond what words can compare to share that in a moment of unbearable pain Atreyu took his own life. "This was not his fault." McCann also asked her 62,000 followers to urgently donate to a GoFundMe page to raise $300,000 for the cryogenic preservation of Atreyu's body. The actress hopes the process can revive her son in the future by freezing his body or brain at an extremely low temperature. "We only have one chance left to cryogenically preserve his body within the next 7 days," she wrote. "If we miss this window, we lose the chance for any future revival that science may offer. "This is about hope and justice. Refusing to let my son's story end in silence." The GoFundMe page has raised $2,785 at the time of writing. McCann is best known for her break-out role as Cherry on the TV series Blog Party. She went on to tour internationally in numerous live music and theatre shows and is a regular on the Sydney social scene. The actress more recently wrote, directed, and starred in the 2019 independent film Benefited. Atreyu, who was a budding child actor with many film credits, also starred in the film before his tragic death. McCann often brought her talented son along to glamorous red-carpet premiers for new films and theatrical productions in Sydney, where the duo were a staple.
