While on tour in Australia, Pink stopped mid-concert to comfort a grieving fan who’d recently lost her mother.
The American pop star was performing in Brisbane on Tuesday (August 21) as part of her Beautiful Trauma tour, which 14-year-old Leah Murphy had attended.
Leah bought tickets to see Pink live with her mother, who was said to have loved the singer’s music.
Speaking to Yahoo, Leah explained her and her mum used to sing Pink’s songs and dance around the house, but Leah’s mother, Debbie, passed away last month.
The teenager decided to go ahead and attend the concert with her aunt, Katrina, and she took along some signs to try and get the singer’s attention.
One of the signs read:
My name is Leah – I’m 14 years old. I lost my beautiful Mom last month. I would LOVE a hug…Please! [sic]
Katrina and her aunt took a few different signs with them, in the hope members of the crowd would see and help to get Pink’s attention.
Speaking to ABC, Katrina explained:
Once Pink got down to the quiet music she was looking out to the crowd, that’s when I started waving the sign.
I had strangers in the crowd grab them off us as well and start waving them. It was just enough for Pink to say, ‘what is that?’
She couldn’t read it, but someone handed her a little brochure about Leah and she read it out.
Pink read the message over the microphone to the audience before heading down into the swarm of fans, before reaching for Leah in order to give her a hug.
Katrina continued:
We ended up at the front row and Pink just held her for … it felt like 20 seconds.
And Leah’s only 14, she’s a teeny-tiny little thing and she just sobbed uncontrollably in her arms.
Pink was just so genuine, she said, ‘hey, don’t cry, everything’s going to be okay’
I haven’t seen her smile so much since. Her dad said he woke up feeling happy today, happier than he has been in a long time.
The So What singer signed her fan’s arm and posed for pictures with her before resuming the concert.
Leah spoke to Yahoo about the wonderful experience, saying:
I was crying a lot and Pink said, ‘Oh don’t cry, you look so pretty. Everything’s going to be okay.’
She was really nice. She’s really sweet.
Being a mother herself, Leah’s sign probably struck a chord with Pink. When she got back on stage, she said to the crowd ‘everyone call your mums’.
Leah’s father explained how the 38-year-old’s music affected their home.
He said:
Pink really lifted the spirits of our family so much.
Pink’s thoughtful actions towards Leah appeared to have had a good effect on the teenager, as her aunt posted about the experience on Facebook, saying she’d been in a good mood since.
She wrote:
A hug from heaven Thanks @pink for the hug and the selfie. She hasn’t stopped smiling, skipping and singing. [sic]
It was a truly, incredible gesture from the musician.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.