The Wiggles' second bushfire relief concert went ahead on Saturday night, despite one of the founding members of the popular kids' band suffering a cardiac arrest at a performance the night before.
The 48-year-old Greg Page, the original Yellow Wiggle and an intermittent member of the group since its beginning in 1991, fell in front of fans while walking off stage at the end of the concert, which saw the band's original 1990s line-up reform to help raise money for bushfire relief efforts.
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field said members of the group's crew administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), while a nurse in the audience, Grace Jones, used a defibrillator to resuscitate Page. He was resuscitated by a nurse in the audience named Grace Jones, 7 News reported.
He understandably wasn't present at Saturday night's sold-out concert.
"We have visited Greg this morning and he wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes," the band posted on its Instagram page. "Greg and his family are so grateful for all the messages of love and support from fans around the world.
"Greg's main concern was that the show tonight should go on."
And it did, with no fewer than six replacement Yellow Wiggles, including present group member Emma Watkins and an Elvis impersonator.
"You know he was gone really," said Field. "He came off stage and collapsed and there was no pulse, there was no breathing. Luckily we had our wonderful drummer Steve Pace and Kimmy. They came in, they knew CPR, so they really brought Greg back and there was a nurse in the audience who put the defibrillator on him and brought him back you know."
Musicians, artists and sports personalities have held a number of relief events to help Australians who have been battling deadly bushfires since September. The fires have killed 29 people and millions of animals, and destroyed homes and large swathes of land.
The Wiggles have sold millions of records in Australia and abroad. Page, the lead singer, founded the band with a group of friends from a university. He has spoken about suffering from orthostatic intolerance, a disorder that affects blood flow and leads to fainting, according to media reports.
"They put a stent in him and he's talking, he wants the show to go on and he's doing a lot better than I am at the moment," said Field. "The guy's amazing, he's such a positive man and his family is with him and all round the world, people have sent messages and he's been on the news you know all around the world. You know, it's just terrible."
The reunion performances are to benefit the Australian Red Cross and the New South Wales Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service.
Reuters / Newshub.
