THE father of an Irishman gunned down in Spain while attending a wedding celebration has died after "giving up" his fight against cancer following the death of his son.

As international police continue their hunt for the killer of 41-year-old John O'Neill, from Coolock in north Dublin, his partner revealed they have since buried his heartbroken father Hugh (63).

"They were more friends than anything," Maxine Sutcliffe told the Sunday Tribune.

"He fought it [cancer] for five years and he continued to fight it until this [shooting] happened. When we came back from Spain he got really bad. He just gave up. He couldn't cope with it.

"He was brokenhearted because they were very good friends."

Hugh O'Neill's death came just six weeks after that of his son, who was gunned down following a row in a bar in Benalmadena in July.

Darren O'Flaherty (35), from Liverpool, has been named as the chief suspect in the killing, which happened after an argument with patrons got out of hand. O'Neill was shot dead outside the establishment although his partner and children, contrary to what was reported at the time, did not witness the incident.

An international arrest warrant was issued shortly after the killing but since then there have been no developments.

"There has been no information. They gave us no indication they are just keeping an eye out," said Sutcliffe.

"It would be the best news if they catch [the killer] but I am not holding out much hope. You hear about these things going on for years and years."

Sutcliffe said the family was now focused entirely on the pair's two children.

"They are doing okay, it's day by day," she said.

"Jake is in playschool and he's doing okay, but still asks for his father every second day. I keep thinking he is getting used to the idea of his father being gone and then he comes out with something else.

"But he doesn't understand, and you have to keep repeating yourself, which is horrible, but eventually it will go in."