We grieve for you, Sir

We grieve for you, Sir

You don't name a baby "Peaches" thinking that she's going to die suddenly at the age of 25.

You give a baby that name because you expect her life to be long and joyous.

It's a sweet and juicy name filled with optimism, bursting with life.

What an adorable name for a baby.

What a cute name for a girl.

What a fun name for a teen.

What a cool name for a mom.

What a silly name for a grown woman.

What a wonderful name for an old lady.

I feel badly for Bob Geldof, whose daughter Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof died unexpectedly on Monday after just a quarter century on this planet.

I don't know much about Peaches.

She was a successful model and a TV personality, but I'm not really familiar with her work.

She married twice, and had two young boys, Astala, two, and Phaedra, who was about to celebrate his first birthday. She had two sisters with equally whimsical names - Pixie and Fifi Trixibelle.

Her mom was Paula Yates, who died in 2000 at the age of 41 from a heroin overdose.

Yates also left Peaches with a half-sister, Tiger-Lily, whose father was rock star Michael Hutchence, who also died young, at 37 in 1997.

Aside from these few scant facts, Peaches is basically a mystery to me, though she seemed a lovely soul.

While I may not be able to properly eulogise her given my lack of familiarity, I do feel entitled to express my sympathies toward her father, Sir Bob.

Bob Geldof, 62, was once a hero of mine.

The leader of the punk band The Boomtown Rats, and the man behind Live Aid, Geldof was truly one of the brightest lights of his generation.

He was a goofy-looking kid from Ireland who put together a kick-ass band and then tried to save the world.

What audacity. What huge cajones.

While there are continuing debates over the long-term benefits of Live Aid - some argue the money raised was used to corrupt ends - one cannot doubt the goodness of Geldof's heart.

Just from seeing images of starving kids on his television, the guy was moved to raise more than US$100 million (S$125m) to feed Ethiopia.

That sort of empathy seems in very short supply these days.

I can't even imagine what Geldof - a man who can feel so deeply - must be feeling right now.

"Peaches is dead. We are beyond pain," he said in his family's official statement.

This poor man has spent a lot of time and energy trying to make the world a better place.

It's a shame the world never quite saw fit to return the favour.

jjohnson@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 9 in The New Paper.

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