Nick Cave has spoken of how the parents of Love Island contestant Luca Bish supported him after the tragedy of his son’s death.
The singer lost his son Arthur at the age of 15 in 2015 when he fell to his death from a cliff in Brighton, and said Luca’s mum Maria and father Michael are as “good as people get” for the way they helped his family through their grief.
Nick revealed his connection to Luca – who is currently coupled up with football legend Michael Owen’s daughter Gemma on the show – on his Q&A site Red Hand Files.
After he was asked what the “major difference” is between him and his wife, Susie, Nick said: “The defining difference between Susie and me is that she watches Love Island, and I don’t.
“Susie watches Love Island because we know one of the contestants, Luca. Luca was a school friend of our twins, Arthur and Earl. As a consequence, Susie and I became friends with Luca’s parents, Maria and Michael.”
He continued: “After Arthur died, in the early days of that terrible, chaotic first week, Maria turned up on our doorstep with a tray of lasagne and basically looked after us. She barely said anything to us. She made us cups of tea. She cooked for us. She was just there. She was the one constant through a time of horror and confusion, when scores of despairing and commiserating people came and went. We will never forget her kindness.
“Even in the first week, when the world seemed suddenly and shockingly defined by an unspeakable and distorting cruelty, Maria reminded us that there was good in the world. She also served as a lesson in how to deal with grieving people – you don’t need to say anything, just do something; make them a cup of tea, cook them dinner.”
Nick revealed that Michael, who is also a fishmonger like his son Luca, still brings fresh fish round to their house “to this day”.
“He pretends to charge us for it, but we know that he doesn’t,” Nick said.
“These people, Luca’s parents, are as good as people get, and they love their son, Luca. So, Susie watches Love Island and cheers him on, and hopes that he will win.
“I also hope that Luca wins, and wins soon, because then I can get the fucking TV back,” he joked.
Earlier this year, Nick and his family suffered further heartbreak when his son Jethro Lazenby died at the age of 31.
