Rick Astley was overcome with emotion during his performance last night.
The star became visibly moved as he shared painful memories from his early years.
The 58 year old singer was on stage at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall, part of his book tour promoting his autobiography, Never. He discussed the moment his life changed when his debut single topped the UK charts.
Rick shared that his parents separated when he was just five, and he lived with his father. His dad would likely have received mental health support in today’s world, but such topics were not openly discussed in the early seventies.
After enduring challenging years under his father’s unpredictable temper, Rick was brought to tears as he recalled receiving his first pay cheques for ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, which became a massive hit, according to the Liverpool Echo, reports the Mirror.
Rick expressed that all he ever wanted was “normality” and not to “live in a tin box in a field”. He said that his 1987 hit, produced by pop gurus Stock, Aitken and Waterman, provided him with the stability he had longed for.
Becoming tearful on stage, Rick recounted how his bank manager called him in to discuss his account as the royalties started pouring in: “I go upstairs and he says to me, ‘do you know what’s in your account? ‘ – and he showed me what was in my account and it was A LOT of money. I was 21 – maybe just turned 22 even – and it was a stupid amount, like winning the lottery.”
“And I thought I’m saved. Music has just saved me. I don’t have to go back and live in that way ever again, this is my life now and I can choose what I want. It meant a lot to me, because music had saved my life.”
Rick received an outpouring of support from the 1,500-strong audience as they clapped their approval for the pop star, who was visibly moved to tears.
Previously, Rick had opened up about the tragic events in his childhood that tore his family apart. One of five siblings, Rick’s second eldest brother passed away from meningitis.
He believed that his parents never truly overcame the loss, and following their divorce, he was brought up by his father.
In a heartfelt moment, Rick shared with the crowd: “My dad had some issues with, probably, mental health. I think if he’d been diagnosed today he’d have gone in for treatment, and that wouldn’t be an issue today. But going back a generation there was no way he was going to do that.”
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