Yahoo Finance James Blunt's father to undergo kidney transplant as singer flies to Australia
James Blunt has revealed his father is set to undergo kidney transplant surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) - as the singer flies across the world to Australia.
The You’re Beautiful singer and former army officer made an emotional appearance on Good Morning Britain to discuss new single Monsters, which he wrote for his father Colonel Charles Blount, who is battling stage 4 chronic kidney disease.
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Blunt, 45, revealed: “My father is going to have a kidney transplant tomorrow... if all goes well. I’m touching a lot of wood at the moment.”
The Goodbye My Lover singer added: “I went down to the country to see him. He’s well... We just met up as a family last night. I’m just heading off to Australia tomorrow.”
Asked how he felt leaving the country as his father underwent the life-saving operation Blunt looked emotional and appeared to struggle for words. He said: “The NHS have been fantastic. We’re crossing all our fingers.”
Blunt had wanted to donate his own kidney to help his father, but was not a match. He previously made a public appeal on the ITV breakfast show for someone with O-positive blood type to donate a kidney, and revealed as a result multiple donors had come forward.
In his new single Monsters Blunt shares an emotional goodbye with his sick father, who appears in the music video alongside his weeping son.
Blunt said: “It was quite conflicting because my father is an ex Colonel in the army, a helicopter pilot and for years probably taught me not to cry. So to be crying beside him was a strange emotion... I never had an emotional conversation with him in my life.”
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Asked how he feels about his father’s ill health Blunt said: “Most people understand that I’m reaching that age where parents get a bit older... parents get more frail and we have to look after them. It’s like a club we all have to join but we don’t want to.”
The lyrics to Monsters include: “I'm not your son, you're not my father/We're just two grown men saying goodbye… So Daddy, won't you just close your eyes?/Don't be afraid, it's my turn/To chase the monsters away.”
