Matthew Badger is still incredibly grief-stricken over the loss of his three daughters Lily, 9, and twin daughters Grace and Sarah, both 7, who all perished in a tragic house fire at his ex-wife Madonna Badger‘s house on Dec. 25, 2011.

The fire started hours after Madonna’s live-in boyfriend Michael Borcina cleaned out the ashes from their fireplace, and placed them in a paper bag in the mudroom — and Matthew still blames Michael for the death of their children, as well as her parents, Lomer Johnson, 71, and Pauline Johnson, 69.

Just before 5 a.m. on Christmas Day, Madonna’s house was engulfed in flames and smoke, and she couldn’t save her precious daughters.

Matthew told New York Magazine in a new interview that in the days after the tragic Christmas blaze, he wanted to kill his ex-wife and her boyfriend, as well as himself.

Even though he didn’t take the violent route, he still struggled with their deaths in the months after.  Matthew went on a spiritual retreat to India over the summer with his girlfriend Abby where he met the Dalai Lama, and then spread his girls’ ashes on a hill.

He also founded the LilySarahGrace Fund in honor of his girls — who all expressed their struggle with dyslexia through the arts — to support low-income schools with grant funding for the arts.

Such a tragic situation. Our thoughts are with Matthew and the Badger family.

What do YOU think of what Matthew said HollyMoms?

– Christina Stiehl

More Badger family news:

1. Matthew Badger Haunted By Three Daughters’ Deaths
2. Madonna Badger Not Attending Matthew’s Charity In Memory Of Daughters
3. Matthew Badger: Every Day Is A Constant Struggle & Reminder Of My Girls

In a new interview, Matthew Badger says he is haunted by the visions of his three daughters’ final moments in the Stamford, Connecticut home that went ablaze on Christmas morning six months ago.

After reading recent reports of the tragedy, Matthew, 47, “got taken to that night.”

“Just the thought that my girls might have suffered or panicked or were running around the house to get out…” he said in a PEOPLE interview.

Matthew continues to grieve for his three daughters, Lily, 9, and seven-year-old twins Sarah and Grace.

“If I don’t cry every day, the waves are bigger. If I cry every day, it is less dramatic,” he told the magazine. “I don’t think the loss is ever going away.”

The legacy of his three daughters lives on in Matthew’s LilySarahGrace fund that honors his daughters’ love for art. His charity has raised $530,000 and funded 400 arts projects in public schools.

Watch his ABC News interview below:

– Lorraine Chow

More Badger Family news:

1. Madonna Badger Not Attending Matthew’s Charity In Memory Of Daughters
2. Matthew Badger: Every Day Is A Constant Struggle & Reminder Of My Girls
3. Matthew Badger Suing City Over House Fire That Killed His Three Daughters On Christmas
   

Matthew Badger will throw a charity event for a fund that honors the memory of his young daughters. The Badger family continues to mourn the loss of Lily, 9, 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace, and their grandparents Lomer and Pauline Johnson who died on Christmas morning in their Connecticut home. 

“I think it’s going to be wonderful, because they always wanted to be on Broadway,” said Matthew to Page Six. A rep for the benefit confirmed to the publication that his ex-wife, Madonna Badger “knows about the event, but is unable to attend.”

Matthew created his Lily Sarah Grace Fund in April to raise support for the arts in schools. It was “a natural evolution out of grief,” he told Page Six. He has already raised $150,00 to honor his daughters’ memories and their love for art and their teachers at PS 3 and Windward School.

“Whatever I did, it had to be a reflection of Lily, Sarah and Grace’s personalities. They were all completely lovers of the arts. They were dancing and singing and constantly creating,” Matthew continued.

The event is set to take place on June 21 and will have performances by students from PS 3, Juilliard, and Ballet Tech. Attendees include Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and more. Whoopi Goldberg will emcee.

– Lorraine Chow

More Matthew Badger news:

1. Matthew Badger: Every Day Is A Constant Struggle & Reminder Of My Girls
2. Matthew Badger Suing City Over House Fire That Killed His Three Daughters On Christmas
3. Matthew Badger Recalls His Last Moments With 3 Daughters Killed In A Fire

Matthew appeared on ‘The View’ on May 23 to talk about his three daughters who tragically died on Christmas Day when a fire broke out in their mother’s home — read on to find out what he said in this emotional interview.

Just looking at Matthew Badger is heartbreaking because you know he’s been through the most unimaginable tragedy. The father sat down with Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg and fought back tears as he talked about Lily, 9 and seven-year-old twins Sara and Grace. 

“I’m constantly reminded of them, a flicker anything that reminds me of the girls,” he says. “It’s constant grief.”

But Matthew has said that he’s not scared because he’s already lost everything. He went on to say that he’s “never been more motivated” to work on the Lily Sarah Grace fund which he started to promote art in public schools.

The investigation into the fatal fire of Badger’s Stamford, Conn. home discovered two major safety errors that cost the lives of three children and parents on Christmas Day. Fire marshals said a still-lit bag of embers from a yule log placed against the wall of the house was the cause of the fire. Plus, the house had no functioning smoke detectors.

— Chloe Melas

More Badger News

1. Matthew Badger Suing!
2. Madonna Badger Suicide Attempt
3. How Madonna Can Cope With Tragic Loss

Matthew Badger has threatened to sue a number of people in regards to the tragic Christmas death of his three daughters — Lily, 9 and twins Sarah and Grace, 7 – but now he’s planning to sue the city of Stamford, Conn. for allowing the house in which his three daughters and ex-wife lived to become a fire hazard.  “They had inspections there,” Matthew’s attorney, Richard Emery, told the AP May 4. “They granted permits there when they shouldn’t have granted the permits. They were well aware of the fact that a smoke detector system which even had been installed was not hooked up. None of this would have happened if Stamford did its job.” The investigation into the fatal fire of Badger’s Stamford, Conn. home discovered two major safety errors that cost the lives of three children and parents on Christmas Day. Fire marshals said a still-lit bag of embers from a yule log placed against the wall of the house was the cause of the fire. Worse, the house had no functioning smoke detectors! The fire marshals have revealed that Madonna’s boyfriend, Michael Borcino, hadn’t doused the embers with water — the outside wall caught fire from the still-smoldering embers. With no working smoke detectors, the five people sleeping on the second and third floors had no warning. “They allowed a fire trap to exist under their supervision with children in it,” Emery said. “Consequently, our claim is they’re liable for the damages to the estates of these kids.” In addition to the children’s deaths, their grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, were killed in the fire at the girls’ mother’s house. The mother, Madonna Badger, and her friend, Michael Borcina, escaped. We wish Matthew the best of luck with his case. Do you think the city should be held responsible?

More Matthew Badger Family News:

1. Madonna Badger’s Ex Husband Suing Over The Death Of His Three Daughters
2. Doctors Speak Out On How Madonna Badger Can Recover From Her Terrible Tragedy
3. Devastated Madonna Badger Attempts Suicide After Tragic Fire Killed Her Daughters

Matthew Badger and Madonna Badger of Stamford, Conn., lost three daughters – Lillian, 9, and 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace — Christmas Day last year. Now he wants to heal his pain with the loving memories he has of his beloved daughters with a memorial fund.

“Gracie was this wonderful ball of creativity. Lily was more of the poet. Sarah was this wonderful ball of love,” Badger said recently.

The memories of his daughters brought him out of isolation to continue living his life, CBS New York reports. His wife is still suffering from the loss of their children.

He wants their memories to live on and their short lives can touch others lives everyday. The website features tributes of the girls singing and dancing. The money raised through the fund will go to elementary schools with art in the classroom.

“I had a very hard time making sense of what life was. I couldn’t stop loving my children and that love I put into the creation of the LilySarahGrace Fund,” he said.

The inspiration for the fund was partly from one of Grace’s teachers in a New York City school with the help from the Donors Choose organization — allowing supporters to give money directly to schools.

What a great way to keep their memories alive!

Our heart goes out to the Badger family!

More Badger Family News:

1. Madonna Badger’s Ex Husband Suing Over The Death Of His Three Daughters
2. Doctors Speak Out On How Madonna Badger Can Recover From Her Terrible Tragedy
3. Devastated Madonna Badger Attempts Suicide After Tragic Fire Killed Her Daughters

Madonna Badger‘s ex Matthew Badger is taking the first legal steps to sue over the horrific Connecticut blaze that killed his three young daughters — Lily, 9 and twins Sarah and Grace, 7 — on Christmas day, according to the NY Post. Will the devastated and heartbroken Madonna now have to deal with a “wrongful-death claim” too?

Matthew filed papers in Stamford Probate Court recently, but his lawyer Richard Emery says Matthew “has no intention of suing his ex-wife.” But Richard is criticizing Madonna’s boyfriend, Michael Borcina, who was the contractor on the renovations at the home.

The $1.7 million home didn’t have working smoke detectors at the time of the fire, and Michael is the one who put still-smoldering ashes from the fireplace into a trash enclosure. The house also didn’t have a certificate of occupancy, and the last city inspection was early last summer.

“The fact is that Borcina was the contractor on the job,” says Richard. “He was aware of the dangers, or should have been aware of dangers, that a civilian would have been unaware of. The fact that kids were living in this house was unbelievable… I don’t hold Madonna Badger responsible for that at all because I can’t imagine she would have understood the immediacy of the dangers.”

Police are still investigating whether or not manslaughter or other charges should be lodged against Michael and Madonna.

Matthew plans to start a foundation in his daughters’ memory that would fund school arts programs, and his lawyer says any proceeds from a wrongful death suit might go to the foundation.

-Anna Moeslein

More Madonna Badger news:

1. Doctors Speak Out On How Madonna Badger Can Recover From Her Terrible Tragedy
2. Devastated Madonna Badger Attempts Suicide After Tragic Fire Killed Her Daughters
3. Madonna Badger Desperately Battled Firefighters To Get Back Into Burning House To Save Babies

Grief-stricken Madonna Badger bravely spoke for 20 minutes to the sobbing crowd who had gathered at Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue on Dec. 5 for the funeral of her three girls — Lily, 9, and twins Sarah and Grace, 7. “They left the world at such tender ages that all they left behind was love,” Madonna said, according to the NY Post.

“This is going to be really hard,” she began. “Lily, Gracie and Sarah are not here with us today, and they won’t be here tomorrow… but my little girls are not gone from us entirely.”

“My girls are in my heart,” she said as she placed her hand on her chest. “They’re right here. This is where they live now.”

The mourners openly weeped during the moving words, and dozens of the Stamford firefighters — who had tried in vain to save the girls — couldn’t hold back their tears.

“I want you to remember my girls out loud, to fight for them never to be forgotten,” she said. “This is why I can stand before you today.”

The three caskets each bore a wreath of pink and white flowers. “Why did this happen to my parents and my children, and why now?” she asked. “Nothing will bring my babies back.”

Madonna recalled each girl’s personality and shared “the smallest drops in an ocean of memories” about her “little girl tribe.”

Lily, the oldest, was a dancer and singer. Sarah was “the little whippersnapper” with “a fragile heart,” and Gracie was the fearless child who “loved completely.”

Madonna also recalled how the girls had discussed death and dying. “Gracie asked me a thousand times if she was going to die before me, and I said, ‘No, Gracie, no that’s never going to happen,” the grieving mother said. “But that happened.”

The inconsolable father, Matthew Badger, was too emotional to speak at the service. Folk singer Rufus Wainwright sang an a capella rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and guests included Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

“At the funeral today, I saw something unbelievable,” Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia said. “I saw Madonna Badger stand up in her pew, walk to the pulpit and give a eulogy on her three daughters. And what she did — she actually gave everyone in the church a gift, an insight into each of her three little girls. And she did it with such dignity and such class.”