Rapper records music to remember late wife

A man who lost his wife to cancer has been recording music as a way to deal with his grief and help his children remember their mum.

Gavin Barwick, from Shifnal, Shropshire, records under the name GBRZ, with his songs using emotive language to tackle difficult subjects.

His wife, Ruth, died of breast cancer over a year ago, leaving behind four children, aged three, six, 11 and 13.

Mr Barwick, said he used to "dabble in a bit of music," but his wife had asked him to write her a song whilst in hospital, which encouraged him to continue writing.

"Obviously the lyrics now have a meaning, I feel like it’s not forced. It’s a lot easier for me to write songs," he said.

Mr Barwick described Ruth as an "absolutely fantastic human being" and a "very hands on mother" who would "go out of her way to help anyone".

"She used to help out at the local church in Shifnal, provide meals for people that didn’t have a lot of money, so you go into the church and get a meal," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"She was just all in all a really, really nice woman and she was a fantastic mother as well, she taught me a lot."

Speaking of one of his sons, Mr Barwick said the six-year-old “speaks about his mum every single day," and that the songs he had recorded also helped the older children.

“They can put one of my songs on and it makes them think of their mum and puts a smile on their face," he said.

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