Heartbreak as widow of 'Crazy John' mobile tycoon dies after cancer battle

By AIDAN WONDRACZ, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 07:54, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 08:00, 18 June 2026 The widow of mobile phone tycoon 'Crazy John' Ilhan has died after an aggressive battle with cancer. Patricia Ilhan, 62, passed away in Melbourne on Thursday. Her four children Yasmin, Hannah, Jaida and Aydin released a statement to share the devastating news.  'We can sadly confirm that our beloved mum passed away this morning. She was surrounded by her family and her husband,' they said. 'She was so strong, and a fighter to the end. She stayed true to herself and was very brave.' TV star Eddie McGuire led the chorus of tributes as news of Ms Ilhan's death sent shockwaves around the country. 'A great woman and philanthropist,' he said. 'Her work on allergies has helped change the world. She was a wonderful partner in every way with my old mate John Ilhan.  Patricia Ilhan, 62, passed away in Melbourne on Thursday 'She will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her.' It was only two months ago that Ms Ilhan had publicly revealed she was fighting cancer for the second time in less than a decade.  She said she had been diagnosed a week before Christmas in 2025 and was undergoing radiation therapy and immunotherapy. Ms Ilhan told The Herald Sun she was determined to fight it.  'I'm generally a glass half full kind of person. I did try and stay positive and felt I was young enough to be able to fight it,' she said.  She praised her husband of four years, Chris Blackman, for helping her navigate through the tumultuous time. 'We've just been married four years, I'm sure he didn't sign up for this,' she said. 'They say in sickness and health, and it's more sickness, but he's been amazing.' John Ilhan died of a sudden heart attack in 2007. He was 42 Ms Ilhan is known for her philanthropy and has campaigned for causes such as breast cancer research.   She set up the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation in 2006 with her late husband John. The pair were motivated to establish the organisation after their daughter suffered an anaphylactic reaction. He died of a sudden heart attack while walking in Brighton in 2007. He was 42.  John was the founder of the Crazy John's mobile phone chain. In 2003, he was crowned the richest Australian under the age of 40. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.