‘Our hearts are broken forever’: Hacienda DJ Graeme Parke announces his son Oliver has died aged 18 after a year-long battle with cancer
- The 59-year-old DJ wrote in an Instagram tribute, “You were a true warrior throughout and fought so hard to the end.”
- Considered one of the leading DJs on the house music scene, Graeme was a fixture at Manchester Hacienda Club in the 1990s
Graeme Parke has announced his son Oliver has died aged 18 after a battle with cancer.
The Hacienda Club DJ, 59, took to Instagram to pay a heartbreaking tribute to his son by his wife Jenny and Oliver’s twin brother Ben.
In his post, Graeme shared two pictures, one of his son alongside Jenny and Ben in a family selfie and another close-up picture of his son.
In a caption, he wrote: “Today our hearts were broken forever. After a year-long battle with cancer, it finally got the better of you, our incredibly strong and gorgeous boy
“You were such a kind, loving and beautiful soul and I will never understand why you were taken from us? It was way too early. You had so much more love to offer this world.”
Tragedy: DJ Graeme Parke has revealed his son Oliver has died aged 18 after battling cancer in a heartbreaking Instagram tribute
Graeme added: “You were a true warrior throughout and fought so hard until the end.
“We will love and miss you every day for the rest of our lives, Ol.
“The power and love we feel from your spirit is all around us and will give us and Ben, your twin, the strength to continue. Especially when times get too tough.
“We love you Ol so much and although you are not here in your physical body the strength you give us and your loving strong spirit will always be with us.
“We love you so much Oliver Park and thank you for sharing 18 years of your precious life with us.”
Vernon Kay was among those who expressed their sympathy in the comments section of Graeme’s post, writing: “Tess and I send you all our love.”
Good Morning Britain presenter Adil Ray also wrote: “All my love Graeme and to all the family. The pain you feel now is the price of the love you have for each other. He is in your heart forever.’
Graeme was considered one of the leading DJs on the house music scene in the 1990s and had a starring role at The Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, which rose to fame during the ‘Madchester’ era.
Sad news: The Hacienda Club DJ took to Instagram to pay a heartbreaking tribute to his son from his wife Jenny and Oliver’s twin brother Ben
He has also continued to perform in Hacienda Classical shows performing live shows across the UK since 2016 and even opened the Pyramid stage in Glastonbury in 2017.
More recently, Graeme was the breakfast presenter on Mom’s Spaghetti Radio, playing classic hip-hop and R&B for listeners.