Mick Fanning shares beautiful news with partner after devastating loss of brother Ed

Australian surfing icon Mick Fanning and partner Breeana Randall have announced the safe arrival of their second child. Randall gave birth to daughter Lyla Skye Fanning on April 4, a younger sister to Xander - who turned three last August.

The news comes just a fortnight after Fanning lost his older brother Ed, who died after contracting an infection while working in Madagascar. It was the third sibling the three-time world champion has lost after Pete died in his sleep in 2015 when he was 43. While older brother Sean was killed in a car crash in Coolangatta in 1998 at the age of 20.

The couple’s Instagram post was flooded with supportive messages welcoming Lyla, with the likes of surfing legend Steph Gilmore, Olympian Jess Fox and tennis great Ash Barty all sending their congratulations. While others noted their baby girl's 'epic birth date'. "Epic birth date. When she turns 20 it will be 4/4/44," one user commented.

The positive news comes as Fanning comes to grips with losing his brother Ed. Fanning paid tribute to his brother in an emotional farewell at the Greenmount Surf Club on the Gold Coast on April 6 - two days after his daughter was born. He also penned a heartfelt message to social media following the news of his brother's passing.

"Love you my brother. You taught me so much over the years about everything that life could deal up," he wrote. "The good and the bad, you were my teacher. You introduced us all to surfing, the joy and freedom of riding a wave.

"The meaning of going to the ends of the earth to find waves to following a passion in the belief that surfing could be that ultimate job. My heart is broken to hear the passing of my best mate. I enjoyed and had so many amazing times with you Eddie. You were in my wedding party, had so many epic times together in Indo and we were just best mates. I’m goin’ to miss you Eddie and now you rest in peace."

Mick Fanning faced with death of third brother

Mick is the youngest of five children, with Edward his third brother to have passed away. Mick's older brother Peter died in 2015 due to complications with an enlarged heart. He died in his sleep while Mick was attempting to win a fourth world title at Pipeline in Hawaii.

On his website, Fanning recalls the moment he found out. " The morning I found out he'd died friends were comforting me telling me I didn't have to do go out if I wasn't up to it. I knew what Pete would want.

"(I) eventually lost the title to Adriano. Losing the title didn't hurt. At the end of the day I only had my Pete in my thoughts."

Peter's death came in the same year that Fanning was infamously attacked by a shark during a competition in South Africa. "2015 was such a down year," Fanning said previously. "I went through a divorce, had the shark incident and then at the end of it all I lost my brother. I was just totally empty at the end of it. I was done."

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Another of Fanning's older brothers, Sean, died at 20 years old in a car accident in Coolangatta in 1998. Fanning said Sean's death deeply affected him as a 17-year-old after the pair split up at a party.

"I walked home, Sean jumped in a car with friends," a statement on Fanning's website said. "On the walk home the police picked me up and told me Sean was gone.

"I was burdened with the news and had to tell the family he'd been in a car accident. I locked myself in my room and didn't leave it for a week."

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