Hazel O'Connor, the 80s pop icon known for hits like D-Days and Will You?, is living "hand to mouth" after a severe brain bleed left her unable to work for three years. The 71-year-old Coventry-born singer, famed for the Breaking Glass soundtrack, now receives visits from carers three times a day.
Friends Launch Fundraiser
Close friends Claire Wheeler and Danny Gerrard have set up a fundraising page to help with her care costs, documenting her struggles online. They revealed: "Hazel is a real fighter, and she has spent the last three years battling in her recovery."
They added: "Money has already been raised to help cover medical expenses and bills, and Hazel is eternally grateful. Despite her fame, Hazel has lived hand to mouth all her life and has had no savings. She has been unable to work since the bleed."
Career and Financial Struggles
Despite writing the Breaking Glass soundtrack and two other smash-hit albums, her friends say she never earned what she deserved because of "an unscrupulous music industry." She suffered the injury at her home in France in 2022, where she lives with her pets, Lolly and Diva.
The musician was unable to seek help immediately and was only rushed to hospital later. The incident has affected the right side of her body, greatly impacting her movement and speech. She now has singing lessons to assist with her speech rehab, but her friends say she still has "a long road ahead."
Fundraising Progress
On the fundraising page, Wheeler and Gerrard wrote: "This fundraiser is being set up by me and Danny Gerrard to give Hazel financial support to pay for her care bill and provide her with an income to make her life a little more comfortable so she can continue to work on her recovery with as few worries as possible. Please help us to give something back to Hazel after all she has given to others over the years."
At the time of writing, more than £23,000 has been raised on the GoFundMe page. Hazel has previously been open about her financial struggles after litigation battles, telling marshwoodvale.com: "I got pretty much fed up. I wanted to have a life. It seemed to me that I had spent all my time chasing something that had come my way. I'd lost it, let it go, was ripped off, didn't have anything to live on and was always living hand to mouth." The star later moved to Los Angeles to work in the TV industry.
