Westlife star Shane Filan has faced a number of challenges throughout his life, including losing both his parents within ten months and being £18 million in debt
In 1998, riding the crest of boyband mania thanks to icons like Take That and Boyzone, a quintet of stars – Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Brian McFadden, Nicky Byrne, and Kian Egan – exploded onto the scene with Westlife, soaring to become one of the top-selling bands around. By the time they bid adieu in 2012, Westlife had blessed us with 13 albums, thrilled fans across 12 world tours, garnered 28 platinum awards, and sold an eye-watering 55 million records globally.
Their hiatus saw the group embrace new beginnings: some expanded their families, others found romance or took to the Strictly Come Dancing stage, and two ventured into solo music careers. Lead singer Shane Filan, once a business and accounting student, faced tough times during the band’s break, grappling with £18 million debt and experiencing profound loss with the death of his cherished mother.
In 2012, when Westlife disbanded, Shane was confronted with personal strife after his property business crumbled, leaving him drowning in £18 million debt. He and his brother Finbarr drove Shafin Developments with ambitious plans for a housing project, a nursing home, and a supermarket.
But the economy’s downturn ruined those plans, leading to the company’s collapse. Reflecting on the situation, Shane expressed deep regret, saying: “I have worked long and hard to try to reduce my debts, and I am devastated that it came to this conclusion.” Following the turmoil, Shane turned to music for solace, releasing three solo albums: You and Me in 2013, Right Here in 2015, and Love Always in 2017. However, he was hit by a year of personal loss when both his parents passed away within ten months, reports OK!.
His ‘hero’ father Peter died after a period of ill health, passing away ‘peacefully in his sleep’ in hospital. “I lost the most important man in my entire life, my dad Peter,” Shane shared with fans. “He was my best friend, my guidance through life and an absolutely amazing father. He was my hero,” he added. Shane’s mother, Mae, had passed away the previous December, sending shockwaves through the entertainment industry, especially since she played a crucial role in persuading Westlife creator Louis Walsh to gamble on her son.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, former X Factor judge Louis recalled: “She rang me and said how good her son and the group were, and for some reason I believed her. Every mother says their son is brilliant. I believed Mae Filan. And I met them and there was something about them. They were rough around the edges.”
At the peak of Westlife’s fame, Shane married his childhood sweetheart, Gillian Walsh, who is also the cousin of bandmate Kian Egan, in 2003. The couple have three children together: Nicole, 18, Patrick, 15, and Shane, 14. Westlife fans were over the moon when the band made a successful return in 2018 with their chart-topping album Spectrum, and they continued to impress with their hit album Wild Dreams, which was released in November 2021.
