Wendy Williams usually keeps it together while sharing different things on "The Wendy Williams Show." On Tuesday, May 30, she choked up a bit while explaining why an empty seat was in the audience of her daytime talk show. She said the empty seat was supposed to have been occupied by one of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing that happened last week following an Ariana Grande concert.
Tribute to loyal fan
Through tears, Wendy told her viewers that a 29-year-old fan of the show had saved for two years to be in the audience on Monday and Tuesday of this week, but he was one of the 22 people who was killed in the terror attack in England.
Martyn Hett was a fan of the show, and he was looking forward to visiting on two consecutive days during his trip to New York.
The 52-year-old host said Martyn called it a trip of a lifetime on social media. As a tribute to him, the host said the young man is being remembered as one who loved life with passion, courage, and laughter. She ended the tribute by saying that the chair will be kept open and thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Williams informed viewers and her audience that she telephoned Hett's close friend in London to tell her she was paying tribute to him. The friend was excited that Wendy was honoring Martyn who was one of her loyal fans.
Other Manchester news
On the same day that Wendy made a tribute to honor Martyn, Ariana Grande officially announced that she is returning to Manchester next week to give a benefit concert for victims and their families of the bombing.
Several of her musician friends have agreed to perform with the 23-year-old singer. They include Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Pharrell, Take That, One Direction's Niall Horan and Usher. More musicians are expected to be added later.
The benefit event will be on Sunday, June 4 at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground with a capacity for 50,000 people.
The proceeds from the show will go to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. Tickets can be purchased for the event through Ticketmaster starting Thursday, June 1. For those who were at her Manchester Arena show on May 22, Grande is giving them free tickets. The event will be aired on BBC One and BBC radio.
Grande suspended her "Dangerous Woman" tour with scheduled dates through June 5. No plans have been revealed when she will return to the stage to continue that tour. In the meantime, AEG, the concert's promoters, are offering refunds for all ticket holders.
