Singer Chesney Hawkes has said his newly released song about loss has taken on new meaning following the recent death of his best friend Victor Irvine after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
The popstar, whose song The One And Only was a number one hit in the UK for five weeks in 1991, had grown up with Irvine after they first met during their schools days.
Since releasing the track, titled Loud, this week, Hawkes said he has had many messages on social media which have “helped” him and hopes the song can do the same for others.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Hawkes said: “I wrote this one some years ago with a young artist who lost his brother, but by weird coincidence, fortuitous, I don’t know how to look at it, but my best friend literally just passed away. We had the funeral literally last week. My lovely Vic.”
Irvine’s wife announced last month on Instagram that her husband had died after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in June 2021.
Hawkes said it was “odd” for him to be releasing a song about trying to connect with someone who had died at this particular moment in his life, but said Irvine had been a fan of the track.
“He loved the song and he told me it was the way that he was going to keep in connection with his loved ones, because that’s what it’s about basically”, the singer added.
After releasing the track this week, Hawkes said he had received many messages of people sharing their “amazing stories”.
He added: “Looking through all my social media messages and the love and support from people … showed me all these amazing stories, and it’s really warmed my heart, and it’s helped me. Hopefully it will help others.”
Reflecting on how the friends maintained their bond, he said: “I think the trick is honesty together. Vic and I cried together. We used to call each other our TC, my trusted companion.”
His three children had gone on to befriend Irvine’s two children which Hawkes said was “one of the most beautiful things”.
The friends were lifelong West Ham United fans and in 2023 they got to create an “amazing memory” together when Hawkes was asked to perform for thousands of West Ham United fans in Prague ahead of the team playing Fiorentina during the Europa Conference League final.
The singer recalled how he had asked for two tickets in return which he gave to his friend Irvine and his son, but the club surprised him with a gift of another set of tickets so he could attend with his brother and son as well.
“So we got to experience that together and it was just the most amazing memory for him and his son. And you can see how happy we were and obviously we won”, he added.
Hawkes announced the news of Irvine’s death on his Instagram last month by sharing a video of them all on stage during the performance, describing it as “one of our most treasured memories”.
