"This makes me smile" – Neil Diamond touched by New Zealand fans’ donations
Neil Diamond has revealed how happy he is to find out that some New Zealand fans are donating the refund money from tickets to his cancelled concerts to Parkinson’s disease research.
Yesterday, Diamond announced his immediate retirement from touring after being diagnosed with the disease.
His looming Australian and New Zealand tour, which was to begin in March, was cancelled as a result.
Diamond’s wife and manager Katie McNeil took to Twitter to express her joy of the news that Australian and New Zealand fans were donating their refunded money to Parkinson’s research, animal rescue groups and fire victim funds.
“My heart is so full of joy to see this silver lining,” McNeil said.
Diamond wrote, “This makes me smile. Thank you. Thank you to everyone for your outpouring of love and support. It makes a difference.”
Neil Diamond fan Roseanne Holliday used her refund money to donate to the Shake It Up foundation in Australia, which is partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.
“It is a small gesture and goes a little way to saying thank you to Neil for a soundtrack to my life,” Holliday said.
“I’ve been listening to Neil Diamond for as long as I can remember. I grew up with my mum playing him in the 70s.
“I’ve seen him 11 times in total, including once in San Diego just after September 11. That was an awesome night. I was going to the Sunshine Coast concert on March 22 and was heartbroken to hear the news about his diagnosis. I saw on Twitter where his wife Katie had been so touched by people from Australia and NZ pledging their refunds to go to a good cause and thought it was a brilliant idea. So this morning I did just the same and donated my ticket to Parkinson’s research here in Australia.”
On Sunday, Diamond will make his first public appearance since the announcement at the Grammy Awards in New York.
He will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, which had already been decided before this week’s shock reveal.
Were you planning to see Neil Diamond in concert and awaiting a refund? Tell us in the comments below if you plan to donate your refund to Parkinson's research.