More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A 15-year-old schoolgirl has written a moving song after her grandpa's sudden death.
Immy Stroud, who lives in Hollingbourne, near Maidstone, was shocked when she heard the news her grandpa had suffered a heart attack.
Despite being well into his 80s, John Stroud, who worked as an architect for most of his life, was "the most active man ever" right up until his final days.
From the moment Immy found out her grandfather had been taken into hospital, she began writing down everything she was thinking and feeling, as a way of coping with the intense emotions.
The Maidstone Grammar School for Girls pupil said: "I started writing down everything and turned that into a poem.
"And then I just sat down at the piano and everything I was feeling came out in notes."
Immy added: "We did not see it coming. It was hard as we couldn't see each other because of social distancing.
"Up until his final days he was the most active man ever - he still did gardening and things like that. He would never have been one of those old men who didn't get up and about. We all thought he was going to live up to 100."
Hating seeing everyone upset, Immy focused her time on getting a song ready to play at her grandpa's funeral.
After just a couple of days, she had completed Cloud Gazing - poignant, touching lyrics paired with gentle piano chords.
She showed it to her mum Beccy - John's daughter-in-law - who "was really happy with it, although she also found it really sad".
Recording it in her little home studio, Immy then got the track professionally produced and played it to her family, including Mr Stroud's wife Madeline, at his funeral last Wednesday.
Immy said: "Everyone was very effected by it. It was really sad but I'm really glad I got to play it at his funeral."
The talented songwriter also uploaded the track to SoundCloud and was surprised to find many people began listening to it - it has now reached almost 5,000 plays.
She then posted it to Instagram, Spotify and YouTube, and has received numerous messages from people saying it describes exactly how they felt when losing a grandparent.
It's the first song Immy, who has been a member of the Holy Cross Church choir in Bearsted since she was little, has published online, and she was overjoyed with the response.
She said: "I didn't expect all this at all, but it's exactly what I'd want if I put music online - I want it to help other people deal with their emotions too."
Immy, whose whole family are all very musical, would love to pursue a career in production or song writing and is currently deciding whether to do her A-levels or enrol at a music college.
