13-Year-Old Boy Tragically Takes His Life, His Famous Mom Reveals Why He Did It
Australian performer Clare McCann, best known for her role in the Channel V series Blog Party, is confronting unimaginable loss while demanding accountability from the institutions she says failed her family. Her 13-year-old son, Atreyu, died by suicide on May 23 after enduring what she describes as months of relentless bullying at a New South Wales public school.
Now, McCann is transforming her grief into action. In a bold and deeply emotional move, she has launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking $300,000 to cryonically preserve her son’s body—a scientific process that involves cooling a body to extremely low temperatures after legal death in hopes of possible revival in the future. The procedure, she says, must begin within days to be viable.
“This is not about science alone,” she wrote. “It is about hope and justice — and refusing to allow my child’s life to be erased in silence.”
McCann, who is also a filmmaker and journalist, says she repeatedly contacted teachers, administrators, and government departments including Education and Child Services to report the bullying her son was facing. She claims to have documented her concerns through psychologist reports, PTSD diagnoses, and extensive correspondence with officials — all, she says, without effective action being taken.
“I begged the school to intervene,” she said. “Nothing was done. Nobody stepped in. And now my son is gone.”
Atreyu, described by his mother as gentle, artistic, and imaginative, was named after a beloved character from The NeverEnding Story. McCann says his name represented courage and creativity — qualities she believes were ignored by a system that failed to protect him.
As her online appeal gains traction, McCann’s decision has sparked both sympathy and debate across Australia. For her, the cryonics effort is not just a scientific gamble but a statement of defiance — a refusal to let her son’s story end in silence.