The death of young musician Nell Smith has left a deep impact on both the music world and the public. At just 17, Nell passed away on Saturday night, October 5, in British Columbia. Along with her family, many well-known musicians have expressed their sadness and shock over her sudden death.
Nell was about to release her first solo album next year. The album, which she recorded in Brighton, was going to be released by Bella Union, an independent record label. Despite her young age, she had already achieved a lot in her music career. Her passing happened just as her career was set to soar.
Simon Raymonde, co-owner of Bella Union and the producer of Nell’s upcoming album, shared his grief on Instagram. He posted photos of Nell, along with a heartfelt message. The photos were given to him by Nell’s family and musician Warren Ellis. One of the images showed Nell and her brother, Ike, in a tender family moment. Another picture showed Nell standing on a beach, deep in thought, with her guitar. Simon mentioned this was taken when she wrote one of her first songs on Vancouver Island.
There were also photos of Nell with The Flaming Lips’ lead singer, Wayne Coyne, who she had collaborated with on a project in 2021. Another image captured the moment Nell saw her blue vinyl record “Where The Viaduct Looms” for the first time, her smile showing how proud she was of her work.
Simon’s last photo showed Nell and Warren Ellis sharing a close moment, with Nell wrapping her arms around the musician. Warren held what looked like Nell’s mixtape, a symbol of her early passion for music.
In his post, Simon expressed that, out of respect for Nell’s family, he couldn’t share more details at the time. He spoke about her talent and the incredible things she had already accomplished as a young artist.
Nell’s family also shared their sadness on Instagram. They posted a series of photos, remembering special moments they had shared with Nell. Alongside the photos, they wrote a heartfelt message: “Our feisty, talented, unique, beautiful daughter was taken from us too soon. We are heartbroken and don’t know what to do or say.” They added that while Nell had so much more to give to the world, they were thankful for all she had experienced in her 17 years. Her family asked for privacy as they dealt with the tragedy, signing off with their names: Jude, Rachel, Jed, and Ike.
Music producer Howard Redekopp, who had worked with Nell on her upcoming album, also shared a tribute on social media. Posting photos of the two of them, Howard wrote about how much he valued the time they spent together, even though it was brief. He praised Nell as a rare and extraordinary talent, and shared how heartbroken he was that she wouldn’t be able to see the lasting influence her music would have. He ended his post by sending love to Nell’s family and friends.
Musician Micah Nelson, son of the legendary Willie Nelson, also paid tribute to Nell on Instagram. He shared images of the two of them playing music together and wrote about the tragedy of her passing. He described Nell as a bright and talented person, full of promise, and shared his sympathy with her family.
Fans have also reacted strongly to the news of Nell’s passing. One fan, posting on Threads, shared a photo from a recent Flaming Lips concert in Portland where the band’s lead singer Wayne Coyne had announced her death. The fan mentioned that Nell had died in a car accident.
A video clip from the concert showed Wayne Coyne breaking the sad news to the audience. He spoke emotionally about his relationship with Nell and their work together on the album “Where The Viaduct Looms.” Wayne struggled to hold back tears as he told the crowd that Nell had died the night before. The audience responded with cheers of love and support, as Wayne reflected on the importance of music and the people we love.
Nell’s connection with The Flaming Lips began in 2018 when she attended one of their concerts. She managed to get a letter to the band on their tour bus, which caught Wayne’s attention. From there, he stayed in contact with Nell’s parents as she began learning to play guitar. By the time she was 11, Nell was performing live, writing her own music, and playing alongside other well-known artists.
Rest in peace, Nell. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and everyone who knew and loved her during this difficult time.
Entitled Worker Belittled My Wife, Who Works as an Office Cleaner — I Was Furious and Put Him in His Place
Entitled Worker Belittled My Wife, Who Works as an Office Cleaner — I Was Furious and Put Him in His Place
Susan, a 61-year-old office cleaner, faced humiliation when a coworker, Mark, maliciously knocked over her mop bucket and belittled her. After HR dismissed her complaints, Susan and her husband Jack took matters into their own hands, exposing Mark’s abusive behavior and fighting for justice.
Susan enjoys reading | Source: Midjourney
My wife, Susan, is 61 and works as a cleaner in an office. She loves the job because it gives her some extra money and, with the flexible hours, she gets to spend more time with our grandkids. Plus, she can enjoy her favorite hobby — reading books. But recently, something bad happened at her job.
One evening, she came home looking upset. I noticed right away.
Jack notices Susan is upset | Source: Midjourney
“Susan, what’s wrong?” I asked, setting down my newspaper.
She sighed and sat down beside me. “You won’t believe what happened at work today, Jack.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
Susan tells Jack about her troubles | Source: Midjourney
She took a deep breath. “I was mopping the hallway floor, minding my own business. Suddenly, I heard the company manager, Mr. Thompson, yelling at someone. He was really laying into them for missing a deadline. Said it cost the company an important sponsor.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” I said, leaning in closer.
Mark shouts at Susan | Source: Midjourney
“No, it wasn’t,” she continued. “The yelling was so loud that even people walking by stopped to listen.”
“Who was he yelling at?” I asked.
“I don’t know, I couldn’t see from where I was. But then, out of nowhere, this man with an angry face stormed out of the office. He looked furious.”
A bucket with dirty water | Source: Midjourney
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I just kept mopping, trying to stay out of his way. But then he came right up to me and kicked over my bucket of water.”
“He did what?” I almost shouted.
Susan tries to clean up spilled water | Source: Midjourney
“Yes, he knocked over the bucket and dirty water went everywhere. It even seeped into the neighboring offices,” she said, her voice trembling.
“That’s terrible! What did you do?”
“I started cleaning up the mess right away. But then he yelled at me, ‘What a klutz! You’re so old, you can’t even mop the floor right?’ And then he just walked off.”
Mark attracted the unwanted attention | Source: Midjourney
I could see the pain in her eyes. “That’s awful, Susan. Did anyone help you?”
“No, Jack. People from the nearby offices came out and started telling me to clean up the mess. They thought I had made it.”
“Did you explain what happened?” I asked.
Sad Susan | Source: Midjourney
“I tried. But later, my boss called me into her office. She told me that if anything like this happened again, I’d be fired.”
“Fired? That’s not fair!” I exclaimed.
“I know. I told her what really happened, but no one believed me,” Susan said, her eyes filling with tears.
Angry Jack | Source: Midjourney
I felt my anger rising. “This isn’t right. We need to do something about this.”
“What can we do, Jack? They don’t believe me.”
“I’m going to the office tomorrow. I’ll talk to the HR manager,” I said firmly.
Jack somes to talk to an HR manager | Source: Midjourney
The next day, I went to her office building. As soon as I entered, I asked to see the HR manager.
“Hello, I’m Jack Johnson. My wife, Susan, works here as a cleaner,” I said when I was ushered into his office.
“Please, have a seat, Mr. Johnson. How can I help you?” the HR manager asked.
HR manager | Source: Midjourney
I took a seat and explained the whole incident. “Yesterday, a man named Mark knocked over her bucket and humiliated her. She tried to explain, but no one believed her.”
The HR manager listened carefully. “Let’s check the security camera footage.”
We watched the video together. It showed the man leaving the manager’s office angrily and heading towards Susan. But the camera angle didn’t capture him knocking over the bucket.
HR manager looks up the video | Source: Midjourney
“I’m sorry, Mr. Johnson,” the HR manager said, shaking his head. “Without concrete evidence, we can’t hold Mark accountable. He’s been a respected employee here for ten years with no complaints against him.”
“So, my wife just has to take this? She’s the one who got yelled at and threatened with losing her job,” I said, my frustration growing.
Frustrated Jack | Source: Midjourney
“I understand your frustration, Mr. Johnson, but our hands are tied without more proof,” the HR manager replied.
Feeling defeated, I left the office. When I got home, Susan was waiting. She looked at me with hopeful eyes, but I had to tell her the truth.
“I’m sorry, honey. They said there’s nothing they can do without proof. The camera didn’t catch him in the act.”
Jack hugs Susan | Source: Midjourney
She nodded, trying to be strong, but I could see the hurt in her eyes.
I found it hard to believe that Mark had no complaints in ten years, so I decided to investigate further. I asked Susan to invite her colleagues over for lunch so I could get to know them better. Susan often shared how nice her coworkers were.
Jack explains his plan | Source: Midjourney
We had ten guests: eight women who worked as cleaners on different floors and two electricians. We had a wonderful time, but during the gathering, I had a plan.
Casually, I brought up the incident involving Susan and how HR had dismissed my concerns. “You know,” I started, “HR brushed off Susan’s complaint about Mark. Has anyone else had issues with him?”
Mark sabotages electricity in the office | Source: Midjourney
There was a pause, and then one of the electricians, Tom, spoke up. “Mark’s always been a jerk,” he said. “He’s sabotaged our tools a few times.”
A cleaner named Maria nodded. “He’s belittled me in front of others more times than I can count.”
Another cleaner, Linda, added, “He’s smart about it, though. He knows the blind spots where cameras don’t catch him.”
Mark looks at the camera’s blind spots | Source: Midjourney
It became clear that Mark had a pattern of bullying, targeting the cleaners especially, knowing their complaints were usually ignored.
With everyone shocked by Mark’s behavior, I devised a plan. “Why don’t we write a letter to the CEO?” I suggested. “Detail everything Mark has done.”
Susan and her colleagues agreed. They wrote a detailed letter, outlining how Mark had mistreated them. Not trusting HR, we sent the letter directly to the CEO. While we didn’t expect immediate action, we decided to gather more evidence.
Susan writes a letter to the CEO | Source: Midjourney
I bought a small recorder and instructed Susan on what to do. “Just get him talking,” I said. “We need his own words.”
The next day, Susan waited for Mark outside the office. When he came out, she approached him. “Mark, why did you humiliate me? What did I do to deserve that? What would your mother say?” she asked.
Mark smirked. “My mother would be proud of me for putting someone like you in your place,” he replied arrogantly. “Watch out, or I might spill dirty water again and blame it on you. You’re nobody here, while I’m an important employee.”
Mark shouts at Susan again | Source: Midjourney
I recorded the entire conversation from a distance, just in case. When he left, I saw a victorious smile on Susan’s face. “Got him,” she said.
The next day, we went to HR with the recording. “This is proof of what he’s done,” I said, playing the audio.
HR tried to cover it up. “This doesn’t prove anything substantial,” they claimed.
HR tries to cover everything up | Source: Midjourney
Fed up, I decided to take a different route. I uploaded the video online and included the audio from Susan’s recorder. The video quickly went viral, and various media outlets contacted us for interviews. Susan shared her story on camera, and we provided the evidence.
The following day, the company’s CEO issued a public apology. “I was unaware of the systematic abuse by my employee,” he said in a statement. “I apologize to Susan and her colleagues.”
The CEO makes an apologetic statement | Source: Midjourney
Mark and the HR manager were fired from the company, and Susan received compensation. She was happy that I had stood up for her in such a modern and effective way.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” Susan said, relief washing over her face. “Thank you, Jack. You really made a difference.”
I smiled at her. “You deserved justice, and I’m glad we could get it. Now, let’s move forward and enjoy some peace.”
Susan and Jack walk together | Source: Midjourney
Susan nodded, holding my hand tightly. “Yes, let’s do that. And maybe, finally, I can just enjoy my work and my books without any more trouble.”
We both knew it had been a tough journey, but seeing Susan’s smile made it all worth it.
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