Ian Bailey has died in Bantry on Sunday after suffering as suspected heart attack.
Mr Bailey was the prime suspect for the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. Mr Bailey would have turned 67 later this month.
The Southern Star broke the story today that emergency services were called to come to the assistance of Mr Bailey who collapsed due to a suspected heart attack at the junction at Barrack Street in Bantry this afternoon.
An experienced first aider saw people attempting CPR to a person lying on the ground at about 1.30pm, and the first aider stopped his car and took over.
The emergency services were alerted and the fire brigade was on the scene within eight minutes, while the ambulance service arrived 20 minutes later.
The bystander had been administering CPR for 20 minutes to the man, who was described as being unresponsive, before the emergency first responders took over.
Mr Bailey's body was removed and taken to the morgue at Bantry General Hospital.
Mr Bailey had always denied any involvement in the murder of Ms Toscan du Plantier. Her body was found outside her holiday home near Toormore early on December 23rd, 1996.
Mr Bailey was never charged with her murder in Ireland but was tried in absentia in France in 2019 after the High Court in Ireland denied an extradition request. The French court found Mr Bailey guilty of murder.
In recent years Mr Bailey had suffered poor health and last September and October he was hospitalised after suffering a series of heart attacks.
