Triona Priestley, a 15-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, had been battling Cystic Fibrosis since childhood. When the teen’s health took a turn for the worse, singer Ed Sheeran helped to grant her a final wish.
Priestley’s family started a campaign on Twitter last week with the hashtag #SongForTri directed towards the singer. By Sunday night, the hashtag was trending and thousands were helping to contact the singer.
Soon after the popular hashtag swarmed Twitter, Sheeran’s manager contacted Priestley’s friend Lucy Hanlon to arrange a call between the teen and singer. Sheeran called Priestley and sang her favorite song, “Little Bird” minutes before her death.
The teen’s brother Colm said, “Triona slipped into a sleep as Ed was singing to her and passed away shortly afterwards. So Ed Sheeran sang her to sleep.”
15-year-old Triona Priestley
According to the DailyMail, Hanlon posted on Facebook, “Ed rang Triona and personally sang Little Bird to her as she took her last breaths. Triona left us listening to her idol surrounded by all the people who loved her. People’s respect is incredible. We would like to thank everyone.”
Sheeran later wrote about the teen on his Twitter page.
Rest in peace Triona, so heartbreaking x
— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) April 1, 2014
