Cal Wilson’s Heartfelt Wedding Gift For Rhys Nicholson
Image: Cal Wilson (left) Rhys Nicholson and Karan Wheatley.
Beloved comedian late Cal Wilson’s heartfelt gift was part of fellow comedian Rhys Nicholson and partner Kyran Wheatley’s wedding celebrations.
Wilson, who passed away at the age of 53 after a brief illness on Wednesday, was undergoing treatment for lower back pain at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
She was unable to attend the wedding of Australian comic, Rhys Nicholson, and long-time partner Kyran Wheatley who exchanged vows at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney in late September.
A Beautiful Gesture
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Comedian Kyran Wheatley shared a heartwarming gift made by his friend Cal Wilson, that was part of the wedding celebrations.
Wilson’s touching gift involved an elaborate Cinderella-coach-style centrepiece of both their initials, decorated with butterflies, stars and angels.
In the centre of the gift was a carriage with figurines of Wheatley, Nicholson, and their dog.
Just a day after the announcement of Wilson’s passing, Wheatley chose to reveal her “beautiful” gesture. Wheatley shared the gift on Instagram, writing “Here’s one of our prized possessions. It arrived on our doorstep, unannounced, along with a basket of messages and gifts from friends, when we cancelled our wedding at the very start of the pandemic”.
“It’s an elaborate explosion of trinkets and adhesive that filled a sad day with bonkers joy. After a brief journey to Sydney to welcome people at a rescheduled wedding, this work of art is now back on our top shelf, as an eternal reminder of the care, optimism, wit, folly, and hot glue gun, of our brilliant friend Cal”, Wheatley added.
‘Our Friend Is Gone’
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Nicholson paid tribute to their friend on Thursday, stating that they felt it was “hard to describe her” because everything that “you want to say comes out sounding like a pile of cliches”.
“I was always relieved to see Cal. Anywhere. At very good gigs, very shit gigs, dinners, parties. Spaces had a particular vibe when she was around. You knew whatever was going on, it would at least be more funny, more warm, and just more bloody silly because Cal was there.
“I don’t think it’s hit all of us yet. I’m finding it so hard to fathom our friend is gone, given she had so much life in her. And was just truly fucking generous with that life. Curious, profoundly fanciful, and absolutely biting when it was needed. She was all in. A gift we got to enjoy for not nearly enough time”, Nicholson wrote.
Nicholson expressed his condolences to her family and urged his followers on Instagram to “tell your friends you love them today”.
Vale Cal Wilson
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According to The Daily Telegraph, Wilson was in the middle of filming a new season for The Great Australian Bake Off in Sydney when she was admitted to the hospital.
The news of Wilson’s death was announced by her management agency Token Artists on Wednesday and was followed by a message posted on her official Instagram account.
The message read, “ Vale Cal Wilson. We are devastated to share the news that Cal Wilson, the much-loved stand-up comedian, writer, and actor died today, surrounded by family and friends in hospital after a short illness.
Cal was loved by her family, friends, fans and peers and a huge hole has been torn in the heart of our community”.
