What Happened To Skylar Lynnae Neil? Vince Neil’s Daughter’s Death Caused By Cancer

Skylar Lynnae Neil was the only biological child of Vince Neil Wharton and his second wife, Sharise Ruddell. For several years, Vince has been into several controversial and negative issues, but this article sheds light upon the most tragic moment of his life – the death of his daughter.

The artist and his fans still mourn the traumatic loss of Vince. This is indeed one of the worst things any parent can go through. So, how did Skylar die? Read further to know the cause behind her death and how her last days in the world were.

Key Takeaways

• Skylar passed away on August 15, 1995, at the mere age of four.
• She died because of Wilms Tumor, a rare kidney cancer found mostly in children.
• Surgeons performed 10 hours of surgery and extracted 6.5 pounds of tissue from Vince’s daughter’s stomach.
• Her parents were married from 1987 to 1991 until their divorce.
• Vince released a song for his late daughter, titled, Skylar’s Song.
• Skylar’s father discovered the reason behind her death might be a Factory Dump.

Vince Neil’s Daughter, Skylar Lynnae Neil’s Death and Funeral

Skylar died on August 15, 1995. She took her last breath in her sleep holding her mother’s hand. The passing took place in the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles due to kidney cancer.

Neil’s funeral was held 3 days after she passed away. Her parents, Vince and Sharise Ruddell buried the little one in a small beautiful pink casket.

Today, she rests in the Forest Lawn, Los Angeles, California.

When Did Skylar Lynnae Neil Start Having Health Problems?

It first started in the earlier week of April 1995, when little Skylar started having simple flu-like symptoms. As such symptoms were pretty common in toddlers, it was not pretty serious for her either.

Despite seeming to be nothing but a normal flu, the pain later started to become unbearable for her. Lynnae was rushed immediately to the West Hills Medical Center by her mother. She was admitted as soon as she arrived at the hospital.

Her father, Vince was informed of the situation by his then-wife, Sharise through a phone call.

Skylar Was Diagnosed With Wilm’s Tumor

Doctors initially determined that the intense abdominal pain of Neil was a case of a burst appendix. Later, the child’s life turned upside down, when the case turned out to be much worse, a cancerous tumor around her stomach, named Wilms Tumor.

Her CAT scan showed that she had two tumors in both of her kidneys. The tumors were so big that it affected her lungs and made it difficult for Neil to breathe.

Sadly, nothing seemed to work and her pain became much worse.

Skylar Lynnae Neil Underwent 10 Hours of Surgery Before She Passed Away

The case of Lynnae did not seem to get any better. The doctors suggested her parents move her to Children’s Hospital in order to give her the best treatment possible since the treatment process included a series of operations with extensive radiation and chemo for four hours.

Both of her parents spent endless days and nights by the side of their daughter, doing everything to make Skylar feel even a little better. Vince and Sharise wore costumes of Neil’s favorite Disney character to distract their daughter from the pain.

Unfortunately, the condition got very harsh when the cancerous tissue spread all over her intestine, lungs, and the muscles of her back. This led to Skylar undergoing a ten-hour surgery which was also her final surgery. Despite the long hours of trying their best to save her, the doctors could not do so.

The Tumor Was of Nearly 7 pounds

Surgeons removed 6 and a half pounds of tumor from the little one’s body. Her father wrote in the band’s memoir, that the tissue was of the same weight Skylar had been when she was born. He wrote in The Dirt memoir,

 “[It] weighed six and a half pounds. That’s how much Skylar had weighed when she was born. … I had never seen anything like it before: it was the face of evil. It lay spread out in a metal pan, a nacreous mess of s—.”

Skylar’s Bio, Parents

The late daughter of Vince Neil Wharton and Sharise Ruddell, Skylar was born on March 26, 1991. She was of mixed descent as her father has a mixed ethnicity of a Mexican mother and an American father.

Lynnae’s dad is a hard rock and heavy metal musician. He is also the lead vocalist of the metal band, Mötley Crüe. On the other hand, her mom Sharise Ruddel was previously a mud wrestler and fashion model.

Lynnae’s Parents’ Married Life and Divorce

Skylar’s parents married on April 30, 1987. This was the second marriage of Vnce. After sharing their lives together for six years, Lynnae’s parents decided to separate. They got officially divorced in 1993, which was when their daughter was three years old.

The couple shared Skylar’s custody together. Their separation never affected the parenting style of the famous artists.

After the divorce, both of them moved on and had several relationships with several people. They also got married to new partners after their separation.

Her Three Elder Siblings: Vince’s Other Children

Vince and Sharise both had different lives before as well as after divorcing. Vince had a son Neil Jason Wharton from his previous relationship with his girlfriend, Tami, and a daughter, Elizabeth Ashley Wharton from his marriage with Beth Lynn.

On the other hand, after divorcing Vince, Sharise welcomed her son, Colt Seigel, with Kirk Seigel.

Despite moving on with their lives, Skylar’s parents could not really come out of the trauma, especially her dad, Neil Wharton.

Vince Fell Back Onto Using Drugs After His Daughter’s Death

Vince was very much affected by the death of his youngest daughter, seeking peace with drugs. The Exposed artist shared after a few years of Skylar’s death, how much the incident traumatized him.

In his 2001 Memoir, The Dirt, he wrote that his separation from Sharise followed by his daughter passing away made him very frustrated. The singer relapsed into the use of drugs along with drinking.

According to the book, he even tried committing suicide.

The Singer Sought The Help of Counseling

After years of his worsening mental and physical health, the artist finally sought help. He signed up for therapy and counseling for the very first time. After several sessions of counseling, he shared that he finally made it to Lynnae’s grave without crying.

The singer added,

“I was able to smile as I talked with her and remembered all the things we used to laugh and joke about.”

Skylar Lynnae Neil’s Father Wrote A Tribute Song For Her

Soon after a month of losing the lovely daughter Lynnae, Vince wrote a song for her, titled Skylar’s Song. It is included in the solo album of the vocalist, Carved in Stone for which he was working way before Skylar passed away.

The lyrics of the song as well as the music video are heart-wrenching. The video includes clips of the beautiful moments the singer spent with his daughter.

The Singer Will Never Be Over His Daughter’s Death

As of the year 2023, which is 28 years after the passing away of Skylar, her parents still mourn her. The singer still shares and remembers memories of his child during interviews and shows.

He also shares pictures of his late daughter. The last one was a throwback photo of her on his shoulders, with the caption, “Miss You,” in September 2019.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vince Neil (@thevinceneil)

Vince Sued An AeroSpace Company For Causing Skylar Lynnae Neil’s Death

In August 1999, Vince sued Boeing North American Inc. for the death of his daughter’s cancer which was apparently caused by the illegal dumping of carcinogenic materials near his house.

The assumption was made as Skylar grew up in their Chatsworth, California house which was near the factory. The singer claimed that harmful elements such as uranium and plutonium were dumped into the soil by Santa Susana Field Laboratory which was indirectly consumed by Skylar. Regardless of several attempts, the singer’s attorney could not prove the allegations to be right due to lack of evidence.

Following this, Wharton also included in his book that heredity might also have been the cause of it. He added that cancer runs in the mom side’s family.