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Louise Thomas
Editor
Australian TV host Fiona MacDonald announced her own death on social media with a statement prepared for the event of her passing.
MacDonald, known for hosting popular Australian shows including It’s a Knockout and Wombat, was 67. News of her death comes nearly three years after she was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
On Thursday (October 3), MacDonald’s sister shared the post written by the late presenter confirming she had died the night before.
“Farewell my friends. My sister Kylie is posting this because I have left the building,” the post began. “Hopefully I’m looking down from a cloud. Last night brought an end to a very tough few months. Was very peaceful the boys and Kylie stayed with me to say goodbye. While I’ve never wanted to die, the thought of leaving my tortured body was a relief.”
She continued: “The last few months have been tough. Unable to swallow normal food, the tube feeding that should have sustained me didn’t work because my gut couldn’t tolerate any of the multiple brands of protein drinks. It went straight in and straight out.
“I have been slowly starving, growing weaker and weaker. I’ve also developed terrible back pain because my muscles aren’t supporting my frame.
“The black humour that served me well through the first years of this journey turned to despair. I made the decision after much soul searching to cease all medical supports and finally go into hospital for end of life palliative care. When you love life as much as I do, it takes a great deal of courage to make choices that lead to farewell.
“So let’s not call it goodbye as I hope to see you again on the other side. Until then: ‘May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rain fall softly upon your fields until we meet again, And may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.’“I carry your love and laughter with me and hope you’ll remember mine.”
Macdonald rose to fame in the 1980s, hosting the children’s TV series Wombat between 1983 and 1984 and the game show It’s a Knockout between 1985 and 1987.
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Speaking to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Jenny Woodward, who worked with MacDonald on Wombat, remembered her as “one of those people that lit up the room when she walked in.”
“She had a cheeky sense of humour and an infectious laugh and always had a keen eye for a story.”
Jamie Dunn, the puppeteer behind Agro, told 4BC: “It is confronting that life is so cruel at times… All I remember Fiona for is laughing.”
Before her death, MacDonald raised A$223,000 ($153,000) for MND research by taking part in a road trip around Australia with her sister Kylie, which was televised in a 2023 episode of Australian Story, titled The Big Lap - Fiona MacDonald.
By the time the episode was filmed, she was unable to speak and had to use a computer to communicate.
“This is not a disease for the faint-hearted. There is no treatment, no cure… stealing the power of all muscles inch by inch until you can’t walk, can’t hold hands, can’t talk, swallow or breathe,” she said. “Then you die.”
MacDonald is survived by her two sons Harry and Rafe, as well as sisters Kylie and Jacki MacDonald.
