Coldplay frontman Chris Martin paid a surprise visit to a terminally ill fan in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday after she was gifted tickets to their concert by Chance the Rapper.
The hip-hop star had been contacted by Heidi Hernandez’s restaurant manager prior to Coldplay’s Chicago show on Thursday and asked if the hometown hero would be able to help secure tickets for the devotee, who has suffered from primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic disease of the bile ducts since she was a kid.
Chance managed to make the wish come true, and even met the 17-year-old, who is in need of a second liver transplant, in person near the Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria where she works, to hand over the present in person.
Chris heard about the act of kindness and decided to take a detour en route to the band’s next tour stop in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, when he stopped by Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria himself to greet Heidi.
The pair hugged and posed for pictures together as they enjoyed a chat in the restaurant, and towards the end of the meeting, Chris invited Heidi, her boyfriend, and her boss to fly out to Seattle, Washington on 23 September (17) to attend another Coldplay gig, this time sitting in the front row.
But that wasn’t all – the Viva la Vida singer also handed the fan tickets to see Bruno Mars perform in Chicago on Saturday night.
Prior to her surprise visit from Chris, Heidi, who had her first liver transplant at just nine years old, had told Chicago’s ABC7 News the rockers’ music had often helped to lift her spirits after feeling down about her lifelong health struggle.
“I got into a really bad depression where I wouldn’t even be able to go to school,” she said, “and I just started listening to (Coldplay’s) music and it made me feel a lot better.”
Coldplay kicked off the A Head Full of Dreams Tour last year. The ongoing North American leg continues in Toronto, Canada this week and runs until October.
