Former NHL great Claude Lemieux tragically died by suicide, authorities told The Post on Friday, as loved ones gathered in Florida to mourn the four-time Stanley Cup champion a day after his death.

The body of the 60-year-old New Jersey Devils hockey legend was found by one of his sons in the back of the warehouse at his family’s home-design business in Lake Park, Florida, at 3:32 a.m. Thursday. He had not returned home, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office statement.

His daughter, Claudia Lemieux, 28, told The Post that her heartbroken family had gathered in Palm Beach, where they live, and were “meeting with a detective” Friday morning.

Workers at the family business hugged and cried at the site on Friday as fans stopped by to pay their respects.

“He was a hockey guy — hockey people are a different breed,” said fan Bill Rodgers, 57, a Boston native now living in Lake Park. “These guys beat the s–t out of each other and then they shake hands after. We brought flowers out of respect.”

Claudia wrote on her Instagram story late Thursday: “No words to express the level of devastation we feel. I love you forever daddy. Forever your only girl.”

It remains unclear which of Lemieux’s three sons — Brendan, Michael, or Christopher — discovered his body at the shop, Andros Home, which sells “refined furnishings and architectural elements,” according to its website.

Brendan Lemieux, 30, a professional ice hockey player for HC Davos in Switzerland, also paid tribute to his father on Instagram. “I love you dad! My son’s favorite person is going to watch from above for a while. We will see you,” he wrote, alongside a photo of Claude smiling on the ice while holding his grandson.

Claudia’s husband, Hunter Bishop, also shared a tribute on social media: “Rest in peace to a truly amazing man. Words can’t even begin to describe how much you meant to everyone. Love you big man,” along with a photo of them golfing.

The retired NHL champion — nicknamed “Pepe” after the cartoon skunk Pepé Le Pew — won the 1995 Conn Smythe Trophy with the Devils, ranks ninth all-time with 80 postseason goals, and was known as a fierce enforcer on the ice.

“He was a beast in skates but a teddy bear inside,” former NHL player Brendan Shanahan told The New York Times. “[He was] a big crier. A big softie. Sort of hidden behind that reputation on the ice, he was a very sweet and sensitive man.”

Shanahan, who faced Lemieux and the Colorado Avalanche during the intense Detroit Red Wings rivalry in the 1990s, described him as a deeply emotional person.

“The way things are now with mental illness, you never know,” said fan Rodgers. “It’s horrible, and it sucks.”

Rogers added that he visited the shop, left flowers for the family, and was invited inside by staff, where they hugged and cried together.

Lemieux’s suicide came just days after he carried the Olympic torch in Montreal’s Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals.

Known as a ruthless agitator, Lemieux won his first Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, followed by two more with the Devils (1995 and 2000) and one with the Avalanche in 1996.

“I’m proud of the way he played, how hated he was,” his son Brendan told USA Today in 2014. “I just love that about him.”

The New Jersey Devils issued a statement Thursday praising Lemieux: “A clutch player on the ice and greatly appreciated by Devils’ fans off it, Claude’s impact in bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to New Jersey will forever be remembered as one of the paramount performances in team history.”

“Widely respected throughout the NHL, both as a trusted agent and a valued colleague, Claude leaves behind a lasting legacy within our game that he gave so much to.”

Off the ice, records show Lemieux was cited for driving with a suspended license in Palm Beach Gardens in April 2025 and for speeding in January 2024, for which he paid fines.