‘Our hearts are broken forever’: Hacienda DJ Graeme Parke reveals his son Oliver has died at the age of 18 after a year-long battle with cancer
- The DJ, 59, wrote in an Instagram tribute: ‘You were a true warrior throughout and fought so hard until the very end’
- Graeme was considered one of the leading DJs in the house music scene, and was fixture at Manchester’s Hacienda club in the 1990s
Graeme Parke has revealed his son Oliver has died at the age of 18 after battling cancer.
The Hacienda Club DJ, 59, took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute to his son from his wife Jenny and Oliver’s twin brother Ben.
In his post, Graeme shared two images, one of his son alongside Jenny and Ben in a family selfie, and another close-up image 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 amazingly 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 far too soon. You had so much more love to offer this world.’
Tragedy: DJ Graeme Parke has revealed his son Oliver has died at the age of 18 after battling cancer in a heartbreaking Instagram tribute
Graeme added: ‘You were a true warrior throughout and fought so hard until the very end.
‘We will love and miss you every single day for the rest of our lives, Ol.
‘The power and love we feel from your guiding spirit is all around us and will provide us and Ben, your twin, with the strength to carry on. Especially when times get too tough.
‘We love you Ol, so, so much and even though you’re not here in your physical body, the strength you provide us with and your loving strong spirit will be with us always.
‘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 to offer their sympathies in the commens 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 one another. He is forever in your heart.’
Graeme was considered one of the leading DJs in the house music scene in the 1990s, and was a main role at The Hacienda nightclub in Manchester which became famous during the ‘Madchester’ era.
Sad news: The Hacienda Club DJ took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking tribute to his son from his wife Jenny and Oliver’s twin brother Ben
Heartbreaking: In his tribute, Graeme wrote: ‘You were a true warrior throughout and fought so hard until the very end’
The club closed in 1997 following multiple security failures, with multiple shootings inside and close to the venue, and due to a lack of alcohol sales.
In 2002, the Hacienda Club was demolished and has since been replaced by apartments.
Graeme has continued to appear in Hacienda Classical shows, which have been performed around the UK since 2016, and opened the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2017.
More recently, Graeme has been the breakfast presenter on Mom’s Spaghetti radio, playing classic hip hop and R&B for listeners.
