The Bray native was in his early forties and leaves behind his wife Ruth and his five young children.

Ruth learned she was pregnant with their third child on the same day that he was diagnosed, in 2008.

He was given four years to live, but lived nine years post diagnosis.

Despite his illness, Fitzmaurice saw the birth of his twins, wrote bestselling memoir It's Not Yet Dark (2014) and directed My Name is Emily (2015) using eye-gaze technology.

His novel was adapted into a feature film of the same name, and was released in cinemas on Friday, October 13th.

The IFTA nominated It's Not Yet Dark (2016) is narrated by Colin Farrell and directed by Frankie Fenton. The film contains excerpts from his book read over home vidoes of cherished moments from his stag, the couple's first dance, and a poignant family trip to Australia.