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A tribute song has been written by a Midlands grime artist following the death of his friend from cancer aged 22.
Tristan Bexton, from Wolverhampton, has written and performed ‘Ty’s World’ as a way of dealing with his grief following his friend Tyrese Bernard’s death from bowel cancer at the age of 22 in December.
The 20-year-old, who performs as TB, said they had become friends at Moreton School when they were in year eight and remained friends after Tyrese moved to Telford, performing and recording songs together.
He said: “Ty was just an amazing person and even when he got diagnosed with cancer, you’d never be able to tell as he was just such a happy person.
“When he moved to Telford, we still kept talking and started doing music together and he was in a few of my videos and sang on my songs.”
The video for the song, which was directed by Tom Kumquat from Roadmap Productions and behind the scenes pictures and shots from the day by Jaymo Studios, sees Tristan performing the song in front of Tyrese’s family and friends, all holding a red balloon.
After the balloons are released, a montage of images are shown paying tribute to Tyrese and showing his relationships with Tristan, his family and his friends.
Tristan said the song was a way of telling people how close he was to his best friend and how much he would be missed.
He said: “The song just tells the audience how close we really were and how the situation has affected everyone who knew Tyrese.
“My aim for the song is to push it as much as I can to get it the recognition I think it deserves because it speaks for the heart about my friend.
“I think if he saw it right now, he’d be smiling and loving the attention and I think it’s a fitting tribute to him.”
Ty’s World can be found on Youtube and can be streamed on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon music and Deezer.
By James Vukmirovic
@jamesvukmirovic
Senior Reporter at the Express & Star. Contact me at james.vukmirovic@mnamedia.co.uk.
