Nowadays, there’s something about seeing a Westlife performance that makes me uneasy. There used to be four men, but now there are only three. Mark Feehily is listening somewhere offstage, possibly at home in Sligo, as Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, and Kian Egan hit the harmonies they’ve been hitting for twenty-five years. or attempting to avoid it. It’s difficult to determine which is more difficult.
The narrative of Mark’s illness doesn’t start out in a big way. It starts with the word “routine”, almost cruelly. August of 2020. It’s the kind of surgery you’re expected to recover from in a week, the kind that people hardly talk about at dinner. In a matter of days, he was in critical care after being admitted to A&E due to severe pain and being informed that he had developed sepsis. That word is like a slap to anyone who has lost a relative. Sepsis doesn’t compromise. Survival frequently depends on hours rather than days when the body turns against itself.
He made it out alive. He quietly described the months that followed as traumatic. At the time, lockdown was at its strictest, and even if someone was fighting for their life, the rules wouldn’t change. There was no fiancé by the bed. There was no ten-month-old baby girl carrying a toy into the hospital. Only plastic-clad nurses and the steady hum of machinery, which is only audible when you have nothing else to listen to. It’s difficult not to imagine how those evenings must have felt.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Markus Michael Patrick Feehily |
| Known As | Mark Feehily |
| Date of Birth | 28 May 1980 |
| Age | 45 |
| Place of Birth | Sligo, Ireland |
| Profession | Singer, Songwriter, Lead Vocalist |
| Band | Westlife (since 1998) |
| Notable Songs | Flying Without Wings, World of Our Own, Chariot, Your Love Amazes Me |
| Illness Began | August 2020 (post-surgical sepsis) |
| Conditions Faced | Sepsis, Pneumonia, Incisional Hernia |
| Surgeries Undergone | Four major operations |
| Current Status | Stepped back from touring; returned to radio work via RTÉ Radio 1 |
What followed seemed almost unjust. In late 2021, while on tour in Newcastle, I fell ill once more prior to a performance and ended up back in A&E. Pneumonia this time. The remaining dates in December were missed by him. Then, in May 2022, I had surgery, which caused me to miss portions of the “Wild Dreams” tour. A big incisional hernia followed. After that, a fourth procedure was used to correct it. You can practically picture his journal from those years, with a hospital stay instead of a set list for each season.
Mark finally gave an explanation on Instagram in February 2024, right before Westlife’s first official American tour. The tone of the post was odd, half relief, half apology, as though he had been carrying the silence for too long. His statement that he was “standing down” from touring felt more weighty than the typical language used in the entertainment industry. It lacked a public relations gloss. Just a worn-out man speaking the truth.
Observing all of this from a distance, it’s interesting to see how the other members of the band have responded. In a succinct and friendly speech on “BBC Breakfast”, Shane stated that Mark is “taking a step back” and that he is still on the new single. They’re “devastated” that Kian won’t be participating in the 25th anniversary run, he told the Mirror. Nothing about it is impatient. Not a hint of pressure disguised as worry. After 25 years, that level of group loyalty is less common than it might seem. Boybands are prone to conflict. Somehow, Westlife hasn’t.
A few days ago, Mark reappeared on Instagram with a video about a new three-part RTÉ Radio 1 series in which he would be exploring the music that influenced him. In a way that celebrity messages are seldom honest, his message was. He acknowledged that it had been challenging to watch the World Tour launch without him. He expressed gratitude to fans, even those he had never met, for supporting him during a time when, in his words, he lacked personal strength. Reading it gives me the impression that he wasn’t writing for the algorithm. He had to write, so he did.
Additionally, he was extremely cautious about what he could and could not do. He clarified that a radio booth is not a stadium. It is a “completely different physical and mental demand” to sit in a chair and discuss important songs. He claimed that stopping completely would worsen the situation both emotionally and medically. The line that lingers is that final section. It is evident to anyone who has witnessed someone recover from a protracted illness. Even a tiny amount of movement is necessary for survival.
When or if Mark will take the stage again with Westlife is still unknown. Fans who hear his voice on the new songs “Chariot” and “Your Love Amazes Me” will be able to pinpoint the exact throat from which those notes originated. That tone, the slightly aching upper register that defined the band, is unmistakable. Traveling is a different matter. The body was kept upright for two and a half hours in the intense heat of a stadium thanks to travel, lights, and hotel beds. He is being upfront about the fact that he isn’t there yet.
As you watch this happen, you get the impression that Mark Feehily is recovering at his own speed, in public, and without apology something that most pop stars are not permitted to do. It’s a more subdued tale than the tour itself, but in some respects it’s more fascinating.
i) https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/875632/mark-feehily-westlife-breaks-silence-health-battle/
ii) https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/39073950/westlife-mark-feehily-health-update/
iii) https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/westlife-mark-feehily-where-health-36137973
iv) https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/mark-feehilys-traumatic-health-battles-37143719