TV golf analyst, interviewer, funnyman and former touring pro David Feherty announced overnight on Twitter that his oldest son, Shey, had died from an overdose. He passed on July 29, which was his 29th birthday.
At the time of his death, Shey had his own consulting company; his LinkedIn profile states a previous consulting venture ended last year. In a 2013 Golf Digest article on David, Shey was working at a trucking company. He was living in Texas at the time of his passing.
According to Shey’s obit page, a service was held overnight, Australian time, at Restland Abbey Chapel in Dallas.
“His beautiful blue eyes could captivate a room, but they could not stare down the enemy that lurked in the shadows and prevent it from reaching out to grab him in his darkest time,” read a family statement on the obit site. “Shey, fought hard to win his battles with drug addiction and mental illness, but in the end the monsters won. The worry we felt watching Shey’s struggle with his addiction has now been replaced by a feeling of loss so deep, knowing we will never see his smiling face or beautiful eyes again. But through our heartbreak we share Shey’s story in the hope that it will touch another person who may battle with addiction either for themselves or for a loved one. Please know there is no shame in asking for help. Our Shey is gone from us now, but you can help us keep his light shining and focused if you reach out to another who suffers.”
David, one of golf’s most beloved TV personalities, has been open about his own struggles with substance addiction and depression.
“A typical day was 30-40 Vicodin and two and a half bottles of whiskey … real whiskey. Whiskey with an ‘e’,” Feherty told Rolling Stone. “There was cocaine, there was dope. When I think about it now I’m like, ‘Why am I alive?'”
Feherty has been sober since 2005.
“Our deepest condolences go out to David Feherty and his family on the passing of his oldest son, Shey,” read a joint statement from NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus and NBC Sports golf president Mike McCarley. “Family means everything to David, and his Golf Channel, NBC Sports and extended television family send their love and support at this difficult time.”
