Paolo performs one-off gig for tragic orphan
PAOLO Nutini was devastated when he was unable to help an orphaned teenager give his beloved mother the funeral he felt she deserved.
Ieuan Joel, 13, had asked the Scottish star to perform at the ceremony after Bevlee Jones died suddenly at the age of only 34 in March.
He told Nutini, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, it would be the perfect tribute to his mother, who was a huge fan of the star.
Ieuan was left bereft when the singer, whose hits include Last Request, called to say he would be in Italy and therefore unable to attend the funeral in Newport, Wales.
But Nutini, 29, has now offered to perform a one-off gig in the town, with all profits going into a trust fund for Ieuan.
The event, at the Newport Centre on July 20, will be his only UK performance this year.
Ieuan had made his appeal on Facebook, in a post shared more than 1,000 times, saying the star was his mother’s ‘idol’ and asking him to play at her funeral.
Nutini said: ‘When I heard of Ieuan’s plea, it was with regret that I couldn’t attend his mother’s funeral and do what he asked of me.
‘I wanted to help him in any way that I could and I feel like a concert in aid of Ieuan himself and in memory of his dear mother was the right thing to do.’ Ieuan said: ‘I’m really pleased and excited that Paolo’s coming to my home town and he’ll be doing a show for my mum.’
The local community has rallied around the schoolboy and helped to raise more than £3,500 to fund the funeral he wanted for his mother, including a horse-drawn carriage.
Tickets, priced £40 plus booking fee, will be on sale on Nutini’s website from 9am tomorrow and are limited to two per person.
In August, the star headlined a soldout show to 35,000 at Bellahouston Park, in Glasgow.