Heidi Montag's Stepbrother Dies in Accident

Heidi MontagThe stepbrother of "Hills" star Heidi Montag has died in a freak accident at a hotel where he worked in Colorado.

Eric O'Hara, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, died a month after his discharge from the Army after falling off of an icy roof.

O'Hara was working at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel Thursday, helping to remove snow from the resort's roof. According to the Rocky Mountain News, he had just released a safety clip he was attached to so he could move along the roof when a piece of ice broke loose and he slid down the sloped roof and fell over the edge.

Heidi's father Bill married O'Hara's mother Terri.

In statement to TMZ, Heidi says, "Losing my brother, at an early age is such a tragedy. I just loved him more than anything. He was just so patriotic. He really wanted to go to and help and do all that he could for his country. He felt like it was his duty. I'll really miss him."

Filed under: The Hills, Reality TV

Reader Comments

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76. My condelences to the family, and may God comfort you during your time of sorrow. To TMZ, you might want to learn familial relationships...when siblings share a common parent, they are NOT stepbrothers or stepsisters. Since Eric and Heidi have the same father but different mothers, he was her half-brother, not stepbrother

Posted at 5:33PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Jenni

77. who said they had the same father?

Posted at 5:38PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by suzy Hein

78. yall are mean

Posted at 5:41PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by sylvia

79. Who IS this person? I've never even heard of her.

Posted at 5:42PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Carolyn

80. anybody that defends our country is a hero. i am so sorry for his death. being up on the roof is a very dangerous job.

Posted at 5:42PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by jen

81. AHHH, All of you folks who wrote rude comments... May someone talk about and treat you the same as you have ,verbally abused this young woman. She is hurting. Freakin' Morons!!!!
Sandi

Posted at 5:53PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Sandi Snyder

82. Awww..extremely sorry to read this. Peace to everyone.
Sad news- about someone who has kept us all safe in this country.
Bless his darling soul!

Posted at 5:55PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Winston

83. # 81

You are RIGHT..that is how I feel...They are all HEROES - HEROES of the WORLD!!

Posted at 5:57PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Winston

84. i bet he didnt even die and she's just creating more nonsense for her to be in the public. SHES NOT A REAL CELEBRITY.

Posted at 5:59PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by christine

85. Its not the story so much, its really come down to TMZ's lack of ethics. Is this really news? Is this something that we need to know? Is this a trashy enough story about someone who is related to a wanabe? TMZ and its editors should look for the lines...like the one they crossed with this article. Its your job to be journalists...I don't even know what to call you people now...its a whole new meaning to sleazzy reporting.

I would love to see a web site dedicated to reporting on the lives of all the TMZ reporters and editors...you know, like their mother's secret affairs with your wife's aunt. Or, the brother of one of the editors who faces criminal charges from the IRS, or your brother's secret desire to have plastic surgery to resemble Yasser Arafat.

Now, that would be something I'd love to read about.

Posted at 6:07PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by DM

86. =[
That's really sad..I'm so sorry.
In my prayers.

Posted at 6:07PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Chelsea

87. I think death is sad for anyone. I wish we none had to suffer n die. Get a brain writers. Write something nice.

Posted at 6:14PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by gayle

88. i like LC 70,000 times more, but i want to extend my condolences to her.
:)

Posted at 6:18PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by juli

89. Other than he's a vet -- how does he rate the news???!!!! This isn't news!!! Let alone entertainment! Hills & his sister are only barely entertainment!!!

Posted at 6:19PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by bulldozer

90. My condolences to the family, I may not like Heidi, but my heart does go out to her family at this dreadful time.

Posted at 6:23PM on Mar 3rd 2008 by Ms. Duckie

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