When Band Aid came together to create the original charity track Do They Know It’s Christmas? in 1984, their goal was to bring joy during the holiday season. However, despite their intentions, many of the members from the star-studded lineup have faced personal tragedies over the years.
The latest version of the song, the Ultimate Mix, was released to a range of reviews. It serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles and heartbreak experienced by several of the voices featured in both the original and newer renditions of the track.
Over the years, Do They Know It’s Christmas? has been recorded three times: by Band Aid in 1984, Band Aid 20 in 2004, and Band Aid 30 in 2014. These different versions provide a glimpse into the lives of some of music’s most prominent stars and how they have evolved over the decades.
To mark the 40th anniversary this year, producer Trevor Horn has taken the three recordings and, through extraordinary music production techniques, blended all the voices of those separate generations into one seamless track.
Liam Payne, whose vocals are used following his appearance on the track in 2014 with One Direction, passed away last month, and saw his grief-stricken bandmates attending his funeral just last week.
Meanwhile Sinead O’Connor can also be heard in the Ultimate Mix, following the legendary Irish musician’s passing in 2023.
Elsewhere Dizzee Rascal – who has featured on Band Aid 20 and is included in the latest iteration – has been embroiled in controversy after being convicted of assaulting his former partner.
The iconic track – written by Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure – never fails to dominate the radio waves every December, serving as a reminder of the heartbreaking circumstances that enveloped its stars in the years that followed.
Pictured: the 40 artists who participated in the original Band Aid Do They Know It’s Christmas? recording in 1984
Do They Know It’s Christmas? has been recorded on three separate occasions, Band Aid (1984), Band Aid 20 (2004) and Band Aid 30 (2014) (pictured)
Elsewhere Dizzee Rascal – who has featured on Band Aid 20 and is included in the latest iteration – has been embroiled in controversy after being convicted of assaulting his former partner
After his wife Paula Yates died of a drug overdose in 2000, Sir Bob Geldof’s 25-year-old daughter Peaches tragically suffered the same fate 14 years later.
Following the single’s release, George Michael – who lost his first love in the AIDS epidemic – spiralled further and further into drug addiction before his eventual death on Christmas Day in 2016.
What’s more, Paul Young has suffered more than his fair share of heartache since 1984 – after his wife gave birth to another man’s son before her tragic death.
However, the latest offering hasn’t gone down well with listeners hearing the first glimpse of the track on BBC Radio 2, with many taking to X to slam the song.
Meanwhile, the song’s creator Bob Geldof broke down in tears as he joined presenter Zoe Ball on her morning show to listen to the track, as he hailed it a ‘work of art’.
Here FEMAIL delves into the ‘Band Aid curse’ and how it has burdened both the original band members’ lives and those of singers whose voices have been cast in the latest iteration…
Sinead O’Connor: Passed away months after losing her teenage son to suicide
Last year, Sinéad O’Connor died, aged 56 after years of mental health battles. The star’s tragic passing came from ‘natural causes’ in London on July 26, 2023. Pictured in 1999
She often shared about her struggles on her social media – sometimes detailing her agony, other times joking wryly about it. Pictured in 2020
She reportedly once said that she wanted only her name and mobile number on her tombstone so people would ‘know I am still contactable, though I’m elsewhere’
Last year, Sinéad O’Connor died, aged 56 after years of mental health battles.
The star’s tragic passing came from ‘natural causes’ in London on July 26, 2023.
Last year, the Irish Independent obtained a copy of the Grammy-winning Irish singer’s death certificate, which revealed she died from ‘exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low-grade lower respiratory tract infection.’
However, those who remember the legendary singer remark on the singer’s lifelong battle with mental illness.
She often shared about her struggles on her social media – sometimes detailing her agony, other times joking wryly about it.
She reportedly once said that she wanted only her name and mobile number on her tombstone so people would ‘know I am still contactable, though I’m elsewhere’.
The singer had also revealed she suffered from PTSD because of the abuse she received as a child.
In 2012 she cancelled a tour after suffering a ‘very serious breakdown’, and in 2015 revealed she had overdosed at a hotel in Ireland.
She cancelled more gigs in 2021 after she said she had gone into a one-year treatment trauma and addiction programme.
After the death of her son in 2022 she was briefly admitted to hospital after posting online that she had ‘decided to follow’ his path.
Her own passing came 18 months after the mother-of-four’s son Shane, 17, took his life in January 2022 after escaping hospital while on suicide watch.
At the time of her death, the musician, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018 when she converted to Islam, was thought to be spending her time between Co Roscommon, Ireland, and London.
In her last Tweet, O’Connor posted a photo of Shane and said: ‘Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.
‘We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.’
In a statement, the beloved singer’s family said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad.
‘Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.’
Liam Payne: Tragically died after falling off hotel balcony
Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Bob Geldof got emotional as he spoke about using Liam Payne’s vocals – after he contributed to the 2014 remix – in the new single
Pictured: One Direction in 2013. The boys were last all seen together nine years ago at their final concert with Zayn
While they may have met up privately behind closed doors, Liam’s funeral marked the first time the band have been seen together in public since the concert. Liam and pal Rita Ora in 2018
Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Bob Geldof got emotional as he spoke about using Liam Payne’s vocals – after he contributed to the 2014 remix – in the new single.
‘I just thought, “Well, he’s here? He’s here [on the record] with his mates. He’s alive with us”,’ the singer said.
But the release comes just weeks after One Direction’s bandmates have been burdened with tragedy, after Liam Payne tragically fell from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Argentina, on October 16.
And last week, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson reunited in the most tragic of circumstances this week as they attended the funeral.
The boys were last all seen together nine years ago at their final concert with Zayn.
The band performed to their adoring fans in Hong Kong with Zayn, who quit the band in the midst of their world tour in March 2015, and there’s not been a reunion of all five members since.
But the remaining four of the beloved boyband came together again for the first time in almost a decade to pay their respects to Liam.
While they may have met up privately behind closed doors, Liam’s funeral marked the first time the band have been seen together in public since the concert.
While the band had well-documented differences, they put them aside to support each other and Liam’s family following his passing. Left, Louis, and right, Harry
Over the weekend, Zayn told fans ‘it’s good to be back’ as he made his long-awaited return to the stage on Saturday, with new photos revealing his emotional tribute to Liam. Pictured at the funeral
The remaining four of the beloved boyband came together again for the first time in almost a decade to pay their respects to Liam. Niall pictured at the funeral
Harry, Niall, Louis and Zayn were all pictured arriving at the private service, which was held St. Mary’s Church in the town of Amersham, northwest of London.
While the band had well-documented differences, they put them aside to support each other and Liam’s family following his passing.
Over the weekend, Zayn told fans ‘it’s good to be back’ as he made his long-awaited return to the stage on Saturday, with new photos revealing his emotional tribute to Liam.
The singer, 31, who rescheduled some concert dates in the wake of his former One Direction bandmate’s tragic passing, performed at Leeds 02 Academy as part of his Stairway To The Sky tour.
After Zayn left the stage, a backdrop appeared which read: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro,’ and a red heart.
Dizzee Rascal: Convicted of abusing ex-partner
Still present in the remix, which has divided listeners, is the 2004 rap by Dizzee Rascal.
However, while he was once considered a pioneer of noughties music in the UK, the musician has been embroiled in controversy after his ex-fiancée blasted the ‘abusive’ grime star’s attempt to overturn his assault conviction.
Still present in the remix, which has divided listeners, is the 2004 rap by Dizzee Rascal. Pictured in 2017
However, while he was once considered a pioneer of noughties music in the UK, the musician has been embroiled in controversy after his ex-fiancée blasted the ‘abusive’ grime star’s attempt to overturn his assault conviction. Pictured leaving Croydon Magistrates’ Court in 2022
The rapper, 40, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty in April 2022. Pictured in February 2022
Speaking last year, Cassandra Jones declared that the court’s verdict demonstrated ‘wealth and status cannot be used to silence women’, and that ‘support is out there’.
The rapper, 40, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty in April 2022, of assaulting Ms Jones by pressing his forehead against hers and pushing her to the floor during a ‘chaotic’ row at her south London home in June 2021.
Mills had launched an appeal against his conviction and sentence, but in 2023 a judge at Inner London Crown Court rejected his request.
Ms Jones, noting how the appeal had been ‘hugely upsetting’ for her, said the experience has helped her understand why ‘so many women drop out of the criminal justice system’.
‘This verdict today once again shows wealth and status cannot be used to silence women,’ Ms Jones said in a statement.
‘Domestic abuse is a crime impacting one in four women in their lifetime.
‘I would like to thank my family and friends and the specialist organisations who have supported me throughout and also say to other women experiencing abuse that regardless of money or influence, support is out there, and you are not alone.’
In April 2022, Mills was given a community order, including a 24-week curfew and 12-month restraining order banning him from contacting his former partner, as well as being ordered to pay £2,190 in costs and a £95 surcharge.
Mills was also ordered to pay £620 costs for the appeal.
Mills, who released his debut album Boy In Da Corner, in 2003, was made an MBE for services to music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2020.
Last month, the musician announced that he will be heading Down Under in 2025, as he will be bringing his We Want Bass tour to five Aussie cities.
The tour will kick off at The Forum in Melbourne on February 1st before moving on to Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on February 4th.
Mills is currently in the middle of a UK tour to celebrate 15 years since the release of his groundbreaking album Tongue n’ Cheek.
Ed Sheeran: Slammed Band Aid for using his vocals ‘without permission’
Ed Sheeran has claimed he wasn’t asked permission from Band Aid 40 organisers to use his vocals on the a new version of the charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Taking to his Instagram stories on, Ed re-shared a message from Ghanaian-British musician Fuse ODG, who has been vocal in his criticism of the charity single claiming it ‘dehumanises Africans and destroys our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’’
Ed Sheeran’s suffering with the curse of Band Aid lies in the fact that he never wanted to be part of the chaotic 2024 Ultimate Mix in the first place.
Last week the singer claimed he wasn’t asked permission from organisers to use his vocals on the a new version of the charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?
The musician, 33, originally featured on the 2014 version of the track – spearheaded by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure – alongside the likes of Sting and Harry Styles which aimed to raise money for the Ebola relief efforts.
However amid the upcoming release of the 2024 Ultimate Mix of the song to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Ed has told how he would have denied permission to add his voice to the song had he’d been asked.
Taking to his Instagram stories, the Shape Of You hitmaker re-shared a message from Ghanaian-British musician Fuse ODG, who has been vocal in his criticism of the charity single claiming it ‘dehumanises Africans and destroys our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’.’
Ed wrote: ‘My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.
‘A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x.’
Ed’s words are in support of rapper Fuse ODG’s strong stance on the charity song – fronted by Bob Geldof – which comes a decade after he ‘refused’ to be part of the Band Aid 30 song.
Fuse ODG, who worked with Ed on the track Boa Me, posted a statement claiming the famous song ‘perpetuates damaging stereotypes’.
The artist, who is releasing his own track We Know It’s Christmas, penned: ‘Ten years ago, I refused to participate in Band Aid because I recognised the harm initiatives like it inflict on Africa.
‘While they may generate sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism and investment, ultimately costing the continent trillions and destroying its dignity, pride and identity.
‘By showcasing dehumanising imagery, these initiatives fuel pity rather than partnership discouraging meaningful engagement.’
The artist went on to say that he’s making it his mission to ‘to reclaim the narrative, empowering Africans to tell their own stories, redefine their identity, and position Africa as a thriving hub for investment and tourism.’
He continued: ‘Today, the diaspora drives the largest flow of funds back into the continent, not Band Aid or foreign aid proving that Africa’s solutions and progress lies in its own hands.’
MailOnline contacted Band Aid representatives for comment at the time
Phil Collins: Devastating spinal cord injury and three marriage break-downs
In a cruel twist of fate, Phil Collins – who is the mastermind behind some of the greatest drum solos in music history – is now unable to play his beloved instrument following a catastrophic spinal injury.
In 2009, the former Genesis band member revealed he can’t even hold his sticks after years of sitting in front of a drumkit.
Phil had surgery to repair dislocated vertebrae in his upper neck, which occurred while drumming on the 2007 Genesis tour.
In a tragic turn of events, the operation caused him to lose feeling in his fingers and could only hold drum sticks if they were taped to his hands.
Pictured: Rock legend Phil Collins – who famously was the drummer in Genesis – performing in 1980
The 73-year-old said: ‘After playing drums for 50 years, I’ve had to stop. My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in.
‘It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful, I even used to tape the sticks to my hands to get through.’
The following year, Phil stated he was suffering depression and had even debated suicide but stopped himself at the thought of his children.
In 2017, Phil had to undergo back surgery after suffering a fall in his bathroom, which has left him with a series of mobility issues.
That same year, Phil revealed that he is a type 2 diabetic and had received treatment with a hyperbaric chamber after he developed an infected diabetic abscess on his foot.
Pictured: Phil Collins with his third wife Orianne Cevey in 2003. The couple divorced in 2008 before later reuniting and splitting again
Pictured: Rock star Phil Collins and Lily Collins his Walk of Fame Star Ceremony on June 16, 1988
On top of his health woes, the rock legend has also had three failed marriages – the last of which resulted in a bitter and highly publicised divorce.
Phil’s ex-wife Orianne Cevey previously said she was ‘trapped in a golden cage’ while the star fell into an alcohol-fuelled depression during their marriage, which ended in 2008.
However, the pair briefly reconciled in 2016 – with Orianne Collins telling the Mail on Sunday they were ‘profoundly and deeply in love’ once more.
Sir Bob Geldof: Devastating loss of mother, wife and daughter
Sir Bob Geldof catapulted to fame in the 1970s as the lead singer of The Boomtown Rats – and is now equally as famous for his charity work.
Pictured: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates in 1995. The TV presenter left her husband for Australian rock star Michael Hutchene later that year
Pictured: Bob Geldof with his daughter Peaches Geldof at the London premiere of Peter Pan in 2003
But the musician – who co-founded Band Aid and the subsequent music festival Live Aid – has lived a life marred by tragedy.
At the age of six, Sir Geldof’s mother Evelyn died of a cerebral haemorrhage, a stroke that causes bleeding within the skull. She was just 41.
In 1976, the rock star began dating TV presenter Paula Yates, who is famous for hosting the music show The Tube in the 1980s.
After welcoming daughter Fifi Trixibelle, the couple married in 1986 and went on to have Peaches and Pixie.
However, Paula and Bob’s relationship became strained over the presenter’s infidelity. In the 2023 Channel 4 documentary Paula, singer Terence Trent D’Arby revealed he was once confronted by Geldof at his hotel in New York City, with the Boomtown Rats frontman asking him if he was ‘k******* my wife.’
In 1995, Paula hit headlines when she left her husband for Australian rock star Michael Hutchene – having interviewed him on the The Big Breakfast show the year before.
Paula Yates famouly left her husband for Australian rock star Michael Hutchene (pictured). The couple welcomed daughter Tiger Lily in 1996
Pictured: Paula Yates interviewing Australian rock star Michael Hutchene on The Big Breakfast Show in 1994
The celebrity couple welcomed daughter Tiger Lily Hutchence in July 1996. The following year, Michael was found dead in a Sydney hotel room.
A coroner found Michael had killed himself while depressed and under the influence of alcohol and drugs but there was never a public inquest into the INXS frontman’s death.
Paula Yates claimed her lover likely died accidentally while choking himself for sexual pleasure, as the pair had engaged in similar sex games.
Tragically, Paula died in 2000 at her Notting Hill home after an accidental heroin overdose.
Four-year-old Tiger Lily raised the alarm when she told Paula’s friend – who had called the house – that she was unable to wake her mother.
After the death of both her parents, Tiger Lily was formally adopted by her three sisters’ father.
Following Paula Yates’ death in 2000, Sir Bob Geldof adopted her daughter Tiger Lily (pictured with her stepfather and sisters in 2005)
In 2014, Sir Geldof’s second daughter Peaches died of a drugs overdose ten times bigger than the one that killed her mother.
Peaches left behind her two sons Astala, three, and Phaedra, two, and husband Thomas Cohen.
On the night of her death, the mother-of-two had been looking after their baby son Phaedra, who was reportedly left alone for up to 17 hours following her overdose.
The coroner at the time said the television presenter, model and journalist had been trying to wean herself off drugs and was clean five months before her death.
But her husband Thomas Cohen, a 23-year-old musician, told the hearing she relapsed in February and was hiding heroin in the loft of their £1million home in Wroxham, Kent.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham, who led the investigation, told the inquest: ‘There is no indication that Peaches intended to take her own life or harm herself in any way as she was reported to be of happy disposition and planning for the future with friends and family.’
Months after Peaches’ death, Sir Geldof told Lorraine Kelly the loss of his daughter was proving to be ‘intolerable’ and that he wanted grandchildren to grow up away from the ‘soap opera’ of his family.
The following year, the musician admitted that he had ‘half-expected’ Peaches’ death and that she is ‘with him every second of the day’.
George Michael: ‘Never got over’ loss of first love
Pictured: George Michael in 1987, three years before he met the ‘love of his life’ during a tour in Rio
He famously struggled with his sexuality during his four decades in the spotlight – admitting that he felt ‘fraudulent’ remaining in the closet for so long.
But if George Michael hadn’t lost his first love in the AIDs epidemic, the late star’s life could have played out drastically differently.
The documentary Freedom – which the star was working on just 48 hours before he died – reveals how the haunted singer never got over the death of Anselmo Feleppa.
Michael was 27 when he saw Brazilian designer Anselmo in the audience of the Rock in Rio concert and asked staff to introduce them.
George had become the world’s biggest selling artist in 1988 after he went solo and released debut album Faith.
The documentary Freedom – which the star was working on just 48 hours before he died – reveals how the haunted singer (pictured in 1984) never got over the death of Anselmo Feleppa
In a personal interview just three months before his death on Christmas Day, the star recalled: ‘At the front of 160,000 people there was this guy over at the right-hand side of the stage that just fixed me with this look.
‘He caught my attention so much that I had to stop going to that corner of the stage, because I was distracted.
‘He was so cute. I was so distracted by him . I stayed away from that corner because otherwise I thought I was going to get really distracted and forget the words. The moment I looked at him I got the feeling he was going to be a part of my life.’
‘Everything had changed. I was happier than I’d ever been in my life.
‘Anselmo was the first time I think I really loved someone selflessly. It was kind of knee-jerk. I felt immediately that everything had changed.’
‘It’s still very hard for me to explain how finding a companion at that stage in my life changed me. And such a beautiful companion and such an amazing person.’
The singer also said that Anselmo helped him come to terms with his sexuality, saying: ‘It’s very hard to be proud of your own sexuality when it hasn’t brought you any joy. Once it’s associated with joy and love it’s easy to be proud of who you are.
Speaking in his documentary Freedom, George (pictured) said of his first love: ”He caught my attention so much that I had to stop going to that corner of the stage, because I was distracted’
‘The first time you actually believe that someone loves you, that’s a wonderful moment in your life and it was a wonderful six months.’
The singer, who was notoriously private about his private life, said he was ‘frightened’ after Anselmo went for a HIV test – knowing the results could mean they both suffered from the infection.
His fear began when Anselmo developed flu which would not go away and was advised to take a test while they were both at George’s LA home.
He said: ‘He went to the doctors over Christmas, it was the most frightening time of my life.
‘I was terrified of losing him. He was my saviour. Finding a companion at that time in my life changed me
‘Then when my mum got cancer, I felt so bloody picked on by God. I took it very badly, very badly indeed. I’ve never felt that kind of depression.’
The star also opened up about the heartbreaking anxiety that began to plague his life after his partner and mother died in the space of five years.
He said: ‘From the day I found out about my partner, to the day I can say I was on the mend from my mother, it was just constant fear. It was either fear of death or fear of the next bereavement.’
George said on Christmas Day 1991 he was sat with his family waiting to find out if Anselmo had AIDS. He was in the UK while Anselmo was in Los Angeles.
Anselmo did not deliver the heartbreaking news until the New Year when he flew to London to break it to George.
In the documentary, which shows home movie footage of the couple, George said: ‘I was absolutely devastated to find out he had a terminal illness… just devastated.’
Pictured: George Michael in 1984, the year he was chosen as one of 40 artists to feature in Band Aid
Tragically Anselmo died aged just 33 in March 1993 after he returned to Brazil for a blood transfusion and suffered a brain haemorrhage.
The news was broken to George by a friend who called him in LA. George said: ‘Then it all goes blurry for a long time. He still, 23 years later, brings a tear to my eye, he was my saviour.’
Five years after Anselmo died, George came out as gay in an interview with CNN and campaigned for HIV/AIDS charities.
In his later years, George struggled with depression and drug addiction and died of heart disease in 2016.
The star’s boyfriend Fadi Fawaz says he discovered the Wham singer unconscious in bed on Christmas morning in his Oxfordshire home.
Midge Ure: Alcoholism Struggles
Pictured: Midge Ure in 1985. The Scottish musician has been open about his struggles with alcohol post-Band Aid
Back in 1984, Midge Ure teamed up with Sir Bob Geldof to create Band Aid – and co-wrote the single Do They Know It’s Christmas? with the Boomtown Rats singer.
The song is the second-highest selling record in UK chart history and was re-released in 2004 and 2014 with new artists.
Although he found incredible success with Band Aid, the Scottish musician has been open about his struggles with alcohol in the past.
The song-writer’s heavy drinking spiralled into addiction after his father’s death in 2001 and he claims that dealing with trauma can push anyone over the edge.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester in 2014, Midge said: ‘It is the very, very, very fine line between being able to deal with that stuff and just falling over, and I kind of fell over for a little bit.
‘And I was just quite shocked at how easy it was – to turn, for that to happen to anybody. And that’s not just me, you know, we’re all under huge amounts of pressure financially, socially, emotionally, all of that, so I think we’re all potentially very fragile.’
The song-writer’s heavy drinking spiralled into addiction after his father’s death in 2001. Pictured in 2019
As well as having hits with Ultravox, Ure also enjoyed success in the 1980s alongside Steve Strange in the band Visage.
The star, who has four daughters, one by first wife Annabel Giles and three by his second, Sheridan Forbes, revealed previously that he will always be tempted to drink but the thought of his family’s pain stops him.
He said: ‘The horrible thing about addiction is you think it is only harming you, but it is not. Am I ever tempted to drink again? You always are, it is the monkey on your shoulder. But what stops me doing it is my family.’
Paul Young: Wife had son with another man before brain cancer death
When Paul Young signed up for Band Aid, he was riding high as a solo artist – having recently split from the band, the Q-Tips.
In 1983, Paul met his wife Stacey Smith while filming the video to his 1983 hit Come Back And Stay.
The couple had always had a volatile relationship, separating for a period when Stacey went on to date stuntman Eddie Kidd.
In 1987, Stacey and Paul married and welcomed daughter Levi later that year, followed by Layla in 1994 and Grady in 1996.
Stacey and Paul (pictured in 1989) married in 1987 and welcomed daughter Levi later that year, followed by Layla in 1994 and Grady in 1996
After almost 20 years of marriage, Paul and Stacey separated briefly in 2006 when she admitted to having an affair with Israeli businessman Ilan Slazenger.
At the time, Paul’s career was in free-fall and he lost his fortune in a disastrous property deal.
At one stage, as a former Celebrity MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen contestant, he even obligingly worked as a cook in the restaurant run by his estranged wife and her new lover.
During her separation from Paul, Stacey fell pregnant with Ilan’s baby. Despite this, the 80s pop star reconciled with his wife and adopted her son Jude.
‘The break-up wasn’t easy’, he said at the time, while refusing to apportion blame or to show even the slightest bitterness. ‘Stacey was my mate when we got married, so why shouldn’t she still be my mate?’
Following their reconciliation, Paul told Loose Women that they are like any other ‘blended family’ and that Jude’s biological father is ’50 per cent in’.
After almost 20 years of marriage, Paul (pictured on Loose Women in 2019) and Stacey separated briefly in 2006 when she admitted to having an affair with Israeli businessman Ilan Slazenger
In 2016, the couple celebrated their 30-year anniversary – which coincided with Paul’s 60th birthday.
That same year, Stacey was diagnosed with brain cancer and tragically died two years later.
Announcing his wife’s passing on X, Paul said at the time: ‘She died peacefully at our home surrounded by family, friends and her four children Levi, Layla, Grady and Jude.’
Speaking about her death on This Morning in 2018, Paul said: ‘We just made the best of it for those two years. And as a family, we agreed that we [he and his children] wanted to get working and do something positive.
‘That’s what she was proudest of. She was really happy for me when things started to pick up again. [We are a close family] we see each other all the time.’
In 2016, Stacey (pictured with Paul) was diagnosed with brain cancer and tragically died two years later
Earlier this year, Paul tied the knot with fiancée Lorna Young – but his children were notably absent from the celebrations.
A friend told MailOnline that Paul’s children would have found it ‘too painful’ to see him marry again and are still ‘hurting’ from their loss.
The insider said: ‘The children are still in deep grief from their mum.
‘They would have found it too painful to watch him marry again so they stayed away.
‘Attending such a big event where all eyes would be on them when they’re still in mourning would have been too much. Both Paul and Lorna understood the decision.’
Sting: Lost both parents in a year
Pictured: Sting performing in Belgium in 1991. The Police frontman lost both his parents within months of one another in 1987
Four years after Band Aid, Sting suffered a huge personal loss of his own when his parents Audrey and Ernest both died of cancer within months of each other.
The Police frontman decided not to attend either of their funerals in Tyne and Wear on the outskirts of Northumberland to avoid drawing any publicity.
In various interviews, the singer has hinted at his strained relationship with his parents.
Describing his ‘difficult’ dynamic with his father, Sting wrote in a lyric collection in 2007: ‘His death hit me harder than I’d imagined possible.’
In his memoir Broken Music, the musician explained how his mother married his father – who was a ‘dashing soldier fresh out of the army’ – when she was a teenager.
He then went on to detail how she had an affair with one of his milkman father’s employees and caught them in the act when leaving early for school one day.
He wrote: ‘I have seen nothing but I run and behind me I hear the front door slam. My mother doesn’t find me when she comes up to my room.
‘I wonder if I am to blame, and have no one to reassure me that I’m not.’
Pictured: Sting with his wife of 31 years Trudie Styler in 2023. In various interviews, the singer has hinted at his strained relationship with his parents
Speaking to the Irish Times in 2003, the star admitted: ‘I think I underestimated the importance of the mourning process. I thought I’d said goodbye to them, which was important, but the actual interring of the remains and the sharing of that with the family, I didn’t take that seriously.
‘I thought, I’ll just get on with work. I was deeply afraid. Running away is what I’ve always done.’
The following year, the singer hinted about his unhappy childhood in an interview the Sunday Independent.
He said: ‘I think my life has progressed from being a very unhappy child – I felt like I was in the wrong place – to where I am now. I am happier now than I’ve ever been.
‘I’m not smug, but I’m happy. I was driven to succeed and to get attention years ago, and to be the best, and win.’
Rick Parfitt: Died of sepsis after being treated ‘awfully’ by Status Quo
Undated photo of Status Quo band members Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster, Francis Rossi and John Coghlan
At the height of Status Quo’s fame, Rick Parfitt quaffed whisky and red wine for breakfast, smoked 30 cigarettes a day, owned ten Porsches – despite a drink-drive conviction.
During one of the band’s 106 appearances on Top Of The Pops, the singer-songwriter was so inebriated he fell off the stage – famously taking the drummer with him.
‘Throughout the 70s and 80s I was a bit of an ogre. I fell into the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll big time,’ he once said, telling how he’d often disappear on ‘benders’ that lasted for days.
‘It was almost like being out of a movie, where you’d wake up and all the facial hair had gone and the claws had been drawn back, and you’re this normal person for a very short space of time until you decide to drink the potion again.’
On top of this, he also estimated to have spent £1.7m on hard drugs during the height of his fame.
On Christmas Eve 2016, the rock star died at a hospital in Marbella after contracting sepsis.
His son Parfitt Jr layer claimed the Status Quo member had been treated ‘awfully’ by his bandmates in his final months.
Addressing the issue of a lack of recognition during the band’s comeback concert in Estonia four months later, Parfitt Jr Tweeted it ‘speaks volumes’.
He continued: ‘Dad was treated awfully. You don’t know what I know.’
Simon Porter, Status Quo’s manager told MailOnline at the time: ‘The band and I were extremely surprised and disappointed to hear about comments made online suggesting that the much-missed Rick Parfitt had been treated unfairly by the band in that period of time between him being forced to stand down from touring work and his tragic death late last year.’
Marilyn: Descended into heroin addiction after losing ‘love of his life’ Gavin Rossdale
Pictured: 1980s pop star Marilyn – real name Peter Robinson – in 1983, one year before being part of Band Aid
After being asked to be one of 40 artists to feature in Band Aid, Marilyn – whose real name is Peter Robinson – could have reached all new levels of success.
Instead, the singer – who is best known for the 1983 hit Calling Your Name – hit rock bottom and spend the next 20 years addicted to heroin.
In an interview with The Mirror in 2014, the former celebrity said: ‘After Band Aid lots of things went wrong in my life and I had a nervous breakdown […]
‘I sold my jewellery and everything I owned and was living off income support, £50 quid or whatever a week, and doing as many drugs as I could get my hands on.’
In 1986, Marilyn appeared at Marylebone Magistrates Court over heroin charges – but these were eventually dismissed over lack of evidence.
After being part of Band Aid, Marilyn (pictured in 2015) spent the next 20 years battling a heroin addiction
Pictured: Gavin Rossdale with ex-wife Gwen Stefani and P Diddy at the pre- Grammy Award party in 2002
In 1995, fellow Band Aid member Boy George alleged in his autobiography Take It Like a Man that Marilyn had been in a relationship with Gavin Rossdale.
Although Gavin denied this, Marilyn later dedicated his 2003 single Hold on Tight to him.
In 2012, Gavin Rossdale admitted he had had an affair with Marilyn and tried to deny it to avoid the ‘glare’ of the media.
He told the Evening Standard: ‘I think at the outset there was a sort of fear – that was right at the beginning of Bush, and I didn’t want it to be part of it.
‘It felt like a cheap shot, so I was like, ‘I’m not getting involved.”
Marilyn later said of their relationship: ‘He was the love of my life. We were together five years, but it felt like 40. He was just becoming successful in America.
‘I agreed to lie against every grain of my being.’
Martin Kemp: ’10 years to live’
Pictured: Martin Kemp attends ‘FashionAid’ Charity Fund Raising Event at the Royal Albert Hall in 1985
George Michael and Martin Kemp pictured at aThompson Twins Concert at Wembley London in 1984
When he was asked to be in Band Aid, Martin Kemp was one-sixth of one of the UK’s most popular bands.
Spandau Ballet continued making music until 1990 – when they split during a public feud over song-writing royalties.
Five years later, Martin Kemp’s life changed forever when he had to undergo radiotherapy and surgery to treat two brain tumours.
He told the Daily Mail in 2009: ‘The first tumour was the size of a squashed grapefruit and doctors could cut my skull to get to it.
‘What was terrifying was the second tumour – doctors avoided talking about it. I was very worried about the little guy in the middle of my head.’
Martin and his brother Gary Kemp in 1988. In 1995, Martin’s life changed forever when doctors discovered he had two brain tumours
Pictured: Martin Kemp with wife Shirlie Holliman on This Morning in February 2020. Although doctors were concerned the second tumour was growing, Shirlie was worried about the dangers of undergoing surgery in the 1990s
Although doctors were concerned the second tumour was growing, Martin’s wife Shirlie – whom he shares Roman and Harley with – was worried about the dangers of undergoing surgery.
He explained: ‘She found a doctor who said it could be attacked with radiation, with an early form of Gamma Knife technology.
‘Within six months of treatment there were signs it was dying and today there is nothing left of it.’
However, Martin told his son Roman that his diagnosis left him ‘resigned to the fact that I was going to die’.
Speaking on Roman’s podcast FFS! My Dad is Martin Kemp, the star’s son asked how much longer he thinks he’ll live.
Martin replied: ‘I’ll be really honest with you, 10 years.’
Speaking on the first episode of his and Roman’s podcast FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp , aptly titled Death, Martin and Roman got candid about the subject (seen together)
He explained: ‘I don’t know how long I’ve got left but I will tell you, since I was the age of 34, when I went through all of that brain tumour scare, I spent two years of my life thinking I was going to die.
‘And I think, after that, everything else, every day, every year, every month that I’ve lived, every experience that I’ve had has been a bonus.
‘I was practically resigned to the fact that I was going to die, but I was quite happy with my lot, because I had lived the most incredible experiences.’
Martin reiterated: ‘By the time I was 34 and I thought I was going to die, I spent two years thinking about it, I was quite happy, I thought: ‘If I go, do you know what? What a life’ and that was back then. So, every year that I live, every month that I’m alive now is like a bonus.’
He told his son he ‘would be happy if I got to 80, that gives me 18 years!’
Do They Know It’s Christmas? has become one of the most iconic tracks in pop history, after being originally created by Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in a bid to raise funds for anti-famine efforts in Ethiopia.
To mark the occasion, producer Trevor Horn has taken the three recordings and, through extraordinary music production techniques, blended all the voices of those separate generations into one seamless track.
Unveiled on 25th November, on Band Aid – 2024 Ultimate Mix will see a young Sting sing alongside a young Ed Sheeran, a young Boy George with a young Sam Smith, a young George Michael beside a young Harry Styles.
The young Bono with an older Bono, Chris Martin with Guy Garvey, the Sugababes and Bananarama, Seal and Sinead O’Connor, Rita Ora and Robbie Williams, Kool and the Gang and Underworld.
Other stars set to feature include Paul McCartney, Sting, John Taylor, Phil Collins, Roger Taylor, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Midge Ure, Johnny Greenwood, Gary Kemp and Justin Hawkins.
The song will be unveiled on Monday November 25 with plays across UK breakfast time radio that morning and the video will then be unveiled that evening.
Band Aid’s first version offered a snapshot of some of the 1980s’ biggest stars, with names including George Michael, Boy George, Spandau Ballet and Banarama all featuring.
A second recording of the track was released in 2004, and featured Noughties favourites such as Busted, Robbie Williams, Daniel Bedingfield, Snow Patrol and The Sugababes.
In 2014, the last version of Band Aid was released, and despite featuring names such as One Direction, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith and Rita Ora, though lyrics were changed to reflect its effort to raise funds for the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
