As with all beautiful things, life also nears its end. And with that it brings the autumn of life, old age. But there are several who manage to beat the cold creeping into hearts and bones, like Massachusetts singing group Young@Heart Chorus . The group comprises of senior citizens between the ages of 73 to 89 who love music.
Fred Knittle was an important part of the group which took off in 1982. A documentary on the group helped gain even more popularity, which featured this rendition of Coldplay’s song Fix You by Knittle in his deep baritone. The group normally sings out songs by Coldplay, Jimi Hendrix and Sonic Youth.
This video of Knittle singing is poignant and moving due to the serious ailments he was already battling during the time. He had to retire from singing in the group in 2002 due to health problems but used to sing occasionally for them.
Several members in the audience were visibly moved as Knittle sang.
‘When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste’
His voice singing the words makes you realise that here’s a person who’s lived it all.
He passed away at the age of 83 and Young@Heart paid a tribute to him on their website:
“He was able to spend his last few days surrounded by family, visited by friends, sharing stories, telling jokes, watching football, some of his favorite pastimes. He died peacefully, knowing that he was loved and will be missed, but feeling he had led a full and happy life and had been blessed with a loving wife and family, including the twelve grandchildren that he couldn’t get enough of.”
