Jane McDonald makes incredible gesture to local hospice after sad death of fiance Ed
JANE McDonald has raised £11,000 for a local hospice after she generously donated some of her iconic costumes for auction.
The singer, 59, said it was 'close to her heart' after tragically losing fiancé Eddie Rothe last year.
Jane and Eddie - who was a member of The Searchers - started dating in 2008, more than 20 years after they first met.
However, last year, Jane lost Eddie after he died following a battle with lung cancer.
Wakefiled born Jane donated 61 of her beloved performance costumes to the Wakefield Hospice in hopes of raising money for their important service.
“We cannot thank Jane enough for donating these fabulous dresses," Helen Knowles, Director of Income Generation told the .
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"She has been a loyal, supportive and committed advocate of the hospice over many years, and the money raised will provide much needed care and support to our patients and their families.”
Wakefield-born Jane said: “The hospice provides a truly invaluable service to our local community, not only for the patients but also for their friends and families.
"To have been able to support such a cause, that is very close to my heart, is a real honour.
"It is fantastic to know that this donation has helped raise much needed funding for the hospice.”
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They first dated for a few months back in 1980 when Jane was just 17.
They got back together in 2008 and, became engaged after Eddie proposed on Christmas Eve of that year.
The Searchers became famous during the British Invasion of the 1960s, during the same time as the Beatles.
Eddie's band had hits including Sweets for my Sweet and Sugar and Spice.
Jane announced that Eddie had died after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
She said in a statement that he had been battling the disease over the past few months.
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She wrote: “It is with immense sadness that we share the news that Jane’s beloved life partner, Ed, passed away on Friday 26th March."
"He had been battling lung cancer for the last few months. We would like to thank everyone for all their help and support during this very difficult time, especially the NHS staff and the wonderful team at The Wakefield Hospice."
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