Harry Bird with Cher in 2004.Photo:Courtesy Harry Bird
Courtesy Harry Bird
A former chauffeur who drove some of the world’s biggest celebrities is sharing how one music legend truly changed his life.
Harry Bird, 82, spent his career getting to know many big-time stars personally, including the likes ofJon Bon Jovi,Freddie Mercury,Richie SamboraandBarbra Streisand.
Bird was withOlivia Newton-John, with whom he spent “many years," when she first discovered the cancer thattook her life in 2022.
“I was with her in the Dorchester hotel and she said to me, ‘I’ve got to go back. I’ve got a lump in my breast,'” Bird tells PEOPLE. “Oh, I loved Olivia … I was very upset when she died because she was genuinely a beautiful person.”
While he had many impactful moments in his career, it was during his 18 years drivingCherthat Bird says he found his life’s purpose.
“In 1998, I had to pick some children up for Cher’s show in London and bring them backstage, but when I got on the bus, I was shocked,” he shares. “They were all craniofacial children, and I had never seen so many children with disfigurements. I froze, and it upset me to think that they saw me freeze like that."
After the concert, Bird discussed his “embarrassment” with the “Believe” singer, who at the time was the spokesperson forthe Children’s Craniofacial Associationfollowing her role inMask.
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Harry Bird with Michael Bublé and his BunnyDuck plushie on Dec. 5, 2023.Courtesy Harry Bird
“She’s the most wonderful person I’ve worked with,” Bird says of the 77-year-old performer. “There’s something about her … I thought she was fabulous.”
He shares that the CCA will receive 100% of the book’s proceeds and a large portion of the plush toy profits, with the hopes of “making [the kids] lives better.”
“I just want people to realize that, though they are different, these kids are human,” Bird explains. “They should be treated like it.”
source: people.com
