NEWS
Little Mix’s Jesy Nelson has asked the public for help after her car, which had vital medical equipment for her daughters inside, was taken.
The singer shared back in January that her twin daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), an uncommon genetic illness that leads to gradual muscle weakness.
She has spoken honestly about how difficult it has been adjusting to caring for her children, and has since used her platform to raise awareness for SMA. On Sunday (April 19), she explained that some of the key equipment she relies on to care for her daughters is now missing after her vehicle was stolen from outside her home.
Posting on her Instagram Stories, Nelson said her black Land Rover Defender with the registration JJ73SSY was taken from her driveway “in the early hours of the morning” in Brentwood, Essex.
“Please if any of you have seen or know of any information, can you DM me or contact the police,” she wrote. “I have so much of my girls’ hospital equipment in that car that’s really needed.”
When she first opened up about her daughters’ diagnosis in January, she described it as “the most gruelling three, four months and endless appointments”, before confirming doctors had told her the twins have “SMA type 1”.
“It does affect every muscle in the body, down to legs, arms, breathing, swallowing,” she said, adding that both daughters were having trouble feeding and were unable to move their legs freely.
Nelson also shared that doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital told her the girls were “probably never going to be able to walk. They probably will never regain their neck strength, so they will be disabled.”
In April, she marked a major step forward after the government confirmed that newborn screening for SMA will begin in October this year, earlier than the originally planned 2027 rollout. “We need to keep pushing to make sure every baby has the opportunity to have this heel prick test at birth,” she said.
According to the charity SMA UK, around 47 babies in the UK were born with the condition in 2024, while about one in 40 people are believed to carry the gene linked to the disease.
Nelson left Little Mix in 2020, explaining that being part of the group had taken a “toll” on her mental health. She later launched her solo career with her debut single ‘Boyz’ featuring Nicki Minaj in 2021, followed by ‘Bad Thing’ in 2023.
Morrissey has written an emotional tribute to his former manager Peter Katsis, remembering him as “a very unusual star” and declaring that “a world has ended”.
Peter Katsis passed away last Thursday, August 6, aged 69. His death was reportedly caused by complications linked to congestive heart failure.
Born in Chicago, Katsis became a respected name within the music world, working as a manager for artists such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Backstreet Boys, Snoop Dogg and Jane’s Addiction. After news of his death emerged, the former Smiths singer initially responded by posting a picture of Katsis.
Morrissey has now published a more detailed remembrance, accompanied by an image showing Katsis dressed in drag while attending a New York Dolls concert in Chicago in 1973.
Looking back at the picture, Morrissey said: “He certainly got into the spirit of things. Given his bustling masculinity, he would roar with laughter to know that I have used this shot in summation of his life.”
“I am justifiably glum this week, and it has taken me several days to even face writing this because PK was a very unusual star: an adventurer who enjoyed biting off more than most people could collectively chew,” he continued. “He was very much liked – which was unusual in a music manager. In a way, a dreamy-eyed romantic, but when necessary, a trick octopus.”
Sharing more memories of Katsis and his larger than life personality, Morrissey added: “All liberties were taken; all fun encouraged and consumed. He knew how and when to give momentum another good shove. Sometimes his Chicagoan knuckle-district dialogue was slightly comic strip, but it was all part of his self-destructive charm… taunting an overdose of Dom Perignon because… well, why not?”
The singer also recalled how the pair viewed the music industry in much the same way. “We were similar in that we were both correct too early – on all predictions. He knew that most modern bands contained neither danger nor mystery, but he gritted his teeth and dealt with the platitudinous industry gabble of Los Angeles.”
Turning to a deeply personal moment in their friendship, Morrissey continued: “When my mother died in 2020, he raced to my side. He knew I couldn’t deal with it. He immediately introduced me to Andrew Watt and we recorded “Bonfire Of Teenagers” faster than the speed of sound – an undreamed-of rescue at a time when another day, for me, might not have come.”
Morrissey ended his message by writing: “The future is now merely the remainder of life. Dead brother buried. A world has ended.”
“Bonfire Of Teenagers” was created across 2020 and 2021 with Watt handling production. The record features appearances from Miley Cyrus, Iggy Pop and musicians from Red Hot Chili Peppers, although the album has still not received an official release.
Several other music figures have remembered Katsis since his passing, including Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan. Corgan described him as “a dear friend and extended member of our family” and praised his role in helping to “usher in the alternative revolution of the ’80s and ’90s and beyond”.
More messages honouring Katsis can be viewed here.
