TERRY Keane, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Charles Haughey's mistress for 27 years, died on Saturday at the age of 68 at St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin after a long illness.She was a journalist who once wrote on fashion in The Irish Times and the Sunday Press but who was best-known for a cutting-edge social and gossip column, "The Keane Edge," in the Sunday Independent where she almost weekly dropped hints about her affair with Haughey.Although she didn't name him in print -- referring only to "Sweetie" -- every politician and journalist in the land knew she was writing about Haughey.The rest of the population was made dramatically aware of the relationship shortly after it ended in 1999 when Keane talked openly about it on the country's most popular chat show, the Late, Late Show.Keane said she gave the interview to Gay Byrne to publicize a series in the Sunday Times in which she had decided to tell her story because she was aware that author Kevin O'Connor was about to publish a book dealing with the affair.Intimate snapshots of her and Haughey were published in the paper, which paid her $99,000 for her "tell-all" story.She later admitted in another Late, Late interview in 2006 that she regretted the revelations because of the hurt it caused to Haughey's wife Maureen and other members of his family.During much of her affair Keane was married to barrister Ronan Keane, who was appointed to the High Court by Haughey and later became chief justice. The Keanes separated in 1990.Although she had a long-running fight against colon cancer before eventually succumbing to it Keane worked almost to the end -- contributing travel features to Social and Personal magazine - and was seen at social functions in Dublin up to a few weeks ago.Irish entertainment entrepreneur Louis Walsh spoke to her at the TV Now awards hosted by her son-in-law, celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin."She was in great form when I bumped into her. She was great craic, always in great form and great spirits," Walsh said."Then, late last week I heard she was in hospital and in a serious condition. I was told she had nearly died but that she had pulled through. So it came as a real shock when I heard that she had died."Keane was born Ann Teresa O'Donnell in Guildford, Surrey, in 1939. Her parents Tim O'Donnell, a doctor, and her mother Ann, a bank official, were Irish and she spent some time in Ireland during her childhood.She returned to Ireland to study medicine at Trinity College in 1958 but never finished her degree, although she remained in the country.She quickly established a wide social circle and became involved in fashion journalism, joining The Irish Times in 1973.Her funeral took place Wednesday at Mount Jerome Crematorium in Dublin.