Jimmy Breslin's Daughter Dies After Collapsing At Restaurant

The family of legendary newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin announced today that his daughter, 44-year-old Kelly Breslin, had passed away after collapsing suddenly in a restaurant days before. After sharing a meal for a friend's birthday at L'Express at around 2 a.m. Friday morning, Ms. Breslin put her hand on a friend's leg and collapsed to the floor, her head hitting the table. She was on life support at Bellevue Hospital until her death yesterday. Her stepmother, former City Councilwoman Ronnie Eldridge, told the Times, “They think it most likely was an arrhythmia episode. They do not believe she died from choking.” Ms. Breslin was not known to have any history of heart trouble; she had gone into cardiac arrest for too long to be revived by the time EMTs arrived. She is the second daughter lost by Jimmy Breslin, best known for his involvement in the Son of Sam story. His daughter Rosemary died at 47 from a blood disease. Eldridge said, “She was a healthy, chattering young woman. She had so many friends that the hospital did not know what to do with them. She reminded me of a fluttering bee that cross-pollinated all over the place. She loved life.”