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Australian personality Fiona MacDonald died of motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 67. The former TV host's sister, Kylie Thynne, uploaded an Instagram post on behalf of Fiona on Thursday, October 3, 2024. The post read in part:
"Farewell my friends. My sister Kylie is posting this because I have left the building - 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."
Fiona MacDonald was the younger sister of former TV host Jacki MacDonald. According to Guardian, Fiona was diagnosed with MND in November 2021, a rare neurodegenerative disorder that affected her speech and movement. On the work front, she was best known for hosting a children's series titled Wombat and a game show called It's a Knockout.
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Fiona MacDonald and her sister Jacki retired from television after getting married
In her farewell message, Fiona MacDonald described her last few months as "tough," adding she couldn't swallow normal food and was "slowly starving, growing weaker and weaker." She said she also developed back pain as her muscles weren't supporting her frame.
The television personality wrote:
"The black humor 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."
The post included two photos, one of them featured MacDonald with her sons Harry and Rafe. In the second image, the late host posed next to her sister, Kylie.
Fiona's elder sister Jacki is also a former TV personality best known for co-hosting Hey Hey It's Saturday with Daryl Somers. However, once she got married to Dr. Michael Pitney, she retired from television.
In a special story titled MacDonald Sisters INSIDE THEIR UNBREAKABLE BOND published in October 2022, Jacki told Woman's Day magazine:
"When I had children, I thought it would be best for them to not have a mother that everybody knew, that they'd have to stick up for at school."
In 2013, Jacki helped establish Brisbane's dining venue, Eat Street Markets. The former Hey Hey host has a good eye for real estate and has been renovating and flipping houses since her 20s.
Like the eldest sister, Fiona MacDonald, too, retired after her marriage, building a career in the wine industry. She also wrote a book, Hill of Grace: 150 Years of Henschke Under Southern Skies.
According to Woman's Day interview, the trio grew up in an "outback sheep station," a ranch where the primary activity was raising sheep for meat and wool. Growing up without a television, they entertained themselves with "shaggy dog stories and silly jokes."
Talking about the MacDonald sisters, a renowned producer Rob McKnight told the publication:
"It's very unusual for sisters to become big stars in light entertainment, especially on separate shows. The MacDonalds connected with audiences because they had charisma, chemistry and talent in spades. We enjoyed watching them and we came to love them."
While little is known about Kylie Thynne, she accompanied Fiona MacDonald on her Big Lap of Australia fundraising road trip. Both traveled over 15,000 kilometers in 40 days, drumming up $100,000.
On August 24, 2023, Fiona dedicated an Instagram post to her younger sibling and wrote:
"Kylie Heather Thynne, born 8 years after I appeared looks like smiling fairy floss or star dust, but she is strong. She’s the one that nods and says yes, but then does what she was going to do anyway. Typical youngest sister material."
Since her diagnosis, Fiona MacDonald had been involved in raising awareness for the MND. She started her fundraising campaign called 'It's a Big Leap for MND' with the motto 'I Am Making a Difference.' It has managed to raise over $225,000 to date.
Fiona MacDonald is survived by her sons Harry and Rafe and her sisters Kylie and Jacki.
