Molly Meldrum gave an emotional tribute to injured cricketer Phil Hughes as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2014 ARIA Awards.
Molly, 71, was teary eyed as he accepted the ARIA Award while wearing his signature hat. He said:
“I am just like everyone in this room. I am here because I love music.”
Molly is the first non-recording artist to be inducting into the Australian Recording Industry Awards hall of fame, as he was honoured for the contribution he has made to the Australian music industry, particularly through the famed long-running music hits show he hosted on the ABC, Countdown.
Molly was flanked by Aussie artists Marcia Hines and John Paul Young who owe much of their success to Molly and the Countdown show.
As he choked back tears, Molly also paid tribute to cricketer Phillip Hughes, currently in hospital after suffering a severe head injury: “Godspeed for a full recovery.”
Molly himself suffered a severe brain injury three years ago that saw him in a critical condition for some time after he had a fall in his Melbourne home. He also broke several ribs, punctured a lung and cracked the back of his head which led to bleeding on his brain.
His close friend Richard Wilkins, who joked around with Molly on the red carpet at last night’s ARIAs, wrote a touching tribute to his friend Molly for Woman’s Daywhile the former Countdown host was in a critical condition.
It is little wonder then that the freak accident which has injured Phil Hughes should strike a chord with the Aussie music legend.
The Aussie cricketer, 25, remains in a critical condition in an induced coma after being truck on the back of the head by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG on Tuesday.
Molly’s pal Richard Wilkins plants a kiss on his friend on the red carpet at the 2014 ARIAs
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