Country music star Kirsty Lee Akers honoured the one-year anniversary of Hannah Rye’s death on Monday by releasing a single written about the late Hunter Valley schoolgirl.
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Hannah died aged 15 on August 20 last year from Ewing sarcoma cancer, but not before capturing the hearts of the community after she attended her Kurri Kurri High School year 10 formal with then-Newcastle Knights player Trent Hodkinson.
Related: ‘Hannah’s song’ to honour her legacy
“I spent a lot of time with Hannah, but we weren’t best friends, but it [her death] hit me a lot harder than I thought it would,” Akers said.
House Full of Flowers (Hannah’s Song) is the second single off Akers’ recently-released album Under My Skin and was partially written after the Golden Guitar-nominee visited Hannah for the final time on a girls weekend, two weeks before her death.
“When I actually recorded it, as soon as it was finished, I sent it to Hannah’s mum [Racheal] because I wanted her to be the first person to actually hear it,” Akers said.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
