Father Of Three Girls Killed In 2011 House Fire Dies

Matthew Badger — the heartbroken dad whose three girls perished in a horrific Christmas Day 2011 fire in Connecticut — died Thursday morning at age 51.

“He is with his children,” Badger’s ex-wife, Madonna — the mother of tragic Lily, Sarah and Grace — wrote in a poignant Facebook posting. A source close to the family told the Hartford Courant that Badger died of natural causes but revealed no details of where or how he died.

“My heart is broken but also joyous that they are together,’’ Madonna Badger posted on Facebook on Thursday afternoon, along with a photo of her and Matthew with their three daughters.

“He was a wonderful man with a generous heart,’’ she wrote of her ex. “He was an amazing Dad to his girls, Lily, Sarah and Grace. His death was sudden and peaceful. He is with his children and his parents and his brother, Mark. Please send him light and love.”

A former film director, Badger was president of the New York-based LilySarahGrace Fund.

Lily, 9, and Grace, 7, were dyslexic like their father — Grace’s twin, Sarah, was not — and the fund helps elementary schools use the arts to foster academic achievement, especially for special-needs children.