‘Our hearts are forever broken’: Hacienda DJ Graeme Parke reveals his son Oliver has died at the age of 18 after a year-long battle with cancer
- The 59-year-old DJ wrote in an Instagram tribute: “You were a true warrior and you fought very hard until the end.”
- Graeme was considered one of the leading DJs on the house music scene and was a fixture at Manchester’s Hacienda club in the 1990s.
Graeme Parke has revealed that his son Oliver has died at the age of 18 after battling cancer.
The 59-year-old Hacienda Club DJ 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 forever broken. After a year-long battle with cancer, he finally got the best of you, our incredibly strong and beautiful little boy.
‘You were such a kind, loving, beautiful soul and I will never understand why you were taken from us. It was 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 heartbreaking Instagram tribute
Graeme added: “You were a true warrior throughout and you fought very hard to the end.
‘We will love and miss you every day for the rest of our lives, Ol.
“The power and love we feel from your spirit guide surrounds us and will give us and Ben, your twin, the strength to carry on. Especially when times get too tough.
‘We love you Ol, so, so much and although you are not here in your physical body, the strength you give us and your strong loving spirit will always be with us.
“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 who offered their condolences in the comments on 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 each other. He is forever in your heart.
Graeme was considered one of the leading DJs on the house music scene in the 1990s and had a leading 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 to the end.”
The club closed in 1997 after multiple security lapses, with multiple shootings in and near 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 running across the UK since 2016, opening the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2017.
More recently, Graeme has been the host of Mom’s Spaghetti Breakfast Radio, playing classic hip hop and R&B for listeners.
