NEED TO KNOW
- Mel Schilling died on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
- Her husband, Gareth Brisbane, said she passed away “surrounded by love”.
- She had been battling colon cancer since December 2023.
- Her funeral took place in the UK on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Mel Schilling has been laid to rest in a private UK funeral following the devastating news of her death.
The MAFS dating coach sadly passed away on Tuesday, March 24, and her funeral took place on Thursday, April 9, her family has confirmed.
The private service took place in the UK, where Mel had relocated with her family in recent years, with close friends attending, while her Australian family watched via a livestream.
After the service, some of her ashes were scattered at a lighthouse at her husband Gareth Brisbane‘s hometown of Whitehead, Northern Ireland.
Gareth shared intimate details of the funeral service in a post shared to Mel’s Instagram page on April 26, revealing that their daughter, Madide, 10, had delivered a speech.
“Maddie announced on the morning of the funeral that she had written a little speech which she delivered beautifully. Every inch her mother’s daughter and I couldn’t be prouder,” he wrote.
“Last weekend we scattered some of Mels ashes at the lighthouse in my hometown of Whitehead, Northern Ireland as was her wish.
“It’s a special place that really resonated with her, a place where strangers say hello as you pass, and a place we can now come back to to reflect on our incredible 15 years together.”
Gareth also revealed that he and Maddie will be going to Bali, where he and Mel got married, to begin their “next chapter”.
“No better place to heal, a place that we all loved and where we still have some of our dearest friends who had the most wonderful blessing ceremony for Mel at our new villa last weekend,” he added.
How did Mel Schilling die?
Mel sadly passed away after a battle with colon cancer.
She was first diagnosed with the disease in December 2023, but went into remission in January 2025.
However, the cancer then returned, and Mel confirmed in March 2026 that it had spread to her brain and was terminal.
Her devastating news came just days after she announced she was leaving MAFS Australia to focus on her family and health.
On March 24, her husband, Gareth, shared the devastating news that Mel had passed away.
“Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram tribute.
“In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life.
“It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me.”
“This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 – and nailed both.”
“This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow, never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming.”
“To most of you, she was Mel Schilling — matriarch of MAFS and queen of reality TV. To Maddie and me, she was our wee Melsie: an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate.”
Gareth thanked the MAFS family for their continued support and “kindness” throughout her cancer battle as he signed off the heartbreaking post.
“I had 15 wonderful years with my soulmate, and it was the privilege of my life to be by her side. For that, I will be forever thankful,” he continued.
“Goodbye, my love. My one. Until we meet again.”
Read all the MAFS tributes to Mel here.
