Family to release song by victim of Bestival crash

THE family of a young musician who died in a coach crash while returning from a music festival are to release a song he wrote.

Michael Molloy, 18, was one of three people killed when a coach returning from Bestival on the Isle of Wight crashed on the A3 in England last ­September.

His song, called Rise And Fall, has been recorded by best friend Alex Evans, thanks to production support from ­Bestival’s record label Sunday Best and BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank.

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The song was composed by Michael, from Woolton in Liverpool, a year before he died.

The teenager’s brother, Joe, said: “It was Michael’s ambition to have his music recognised by the wider world.

“He never fulfilled that ­ambition so we, his family, are fulfilling it for him.

“Michael can never come back and we will never cease to grieve for him. We think about him every hour of every day.

“But Michael’s passion for music and his talent was one of the qualities which defined him and we want the rest of the world, through his music, to understand and appreciate in a small way just what a special human being he was.

“The release of the single is both in memoriam and in celebration and we wish to thank Sunday Best and all of the people who have supported Michael over many years.”

Michael’s mother Frances added: “The release of Michael’s single will represent a small step in the long and hard job of rebuilding our lives.

“We will always be thankful for the fact that he was the happiest 18-year-old alive at the time of his death. He was fulfilled and full of hopes and dreams.

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“One of those dreams was for his talent to be recognised. The release of Rise And Fall means that will now happen.”

Bestival organiser and Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank said: “It’s obvious to me that Michael was a young and rare talent and that music was an extremely important part of his life.

“I’ve heard he absolutely loved Bestival and had a great time at the festival, so I feel privileged to be able to help his family fulfil his and their ambition of getting Michael’s music out there.”

The song will be available for download from 30 April.

Coach driver Colin Daulby, 63, from Warrington, Cheshire, and Kerry Ogden, 23, from Maghull, near Liverpool, were also killed in the crash near Hindhead, which left 50 others injured.