We dish out likes and comments so flippantly on social media that sometimes we forget what we’ve even scrolled past on any given day.
Though every now and then, a post comes along that really makes an imprint on your soul. And today, the gold medal of pulling heartstrings goes to Giorgio Lo Porto.
The musician, born in Italy and raised in the UK, went viral with his recent TikTok videos after performing a piano duet with a mystery neighbour through the wall.
The pair had been playing throughout lockdown, never having met each other, before their duets evolved into a weekend ritual.
Giorgio began to film their game of piano ping-pong while they played the Amélie theme, before revealing to his followers: “I still don’t know who lives behind that wall.”
Soon, Giorgio revealed that he had finally met the neighbour, who turned out to be a 78-year-old man named Emil, originally from Poland, and that it “was better than expected”.
However, while the two neighbours formed an unlikely bond, Emil was struggling.
He had been placed in the same apartment block as Giorgio only as temporary accommodation while waiting for his house to be sold and had lost his wife due to Covid.
All he had left was the piano, and the reason he played every weekend at 2pm in tandem with Giorgio was because his wife loved it when he did.
While Emil was camera-shy and did not appear on TikTok, Giorgio told fans that the elderly man had thanked him for their blossoming friendship and said it kept him motivated and less lonely.
As a heart-warming gift, Giorgio then vowed to play the piano every day until Emil moved out.
However, that day tragically came sooner than he anticipated, as Giorgio took to social media once again to give followers an update of their new-found brotherhood.
Playing an original piece dedicated to Emil, Giorgio revealed he had some horrible news, saying: “Emil’s light turned off last night, went to bed but never woke up. He’s now reunited with his wife.”
Giorgio continued: “Dear Emil, I knew very little about you, but you changed my life, you gave me back my passion and we shared that with the world.
“You’ll be in my heart; I’ll keep playing and thinking of how powerful music can be. You said I was your light, but you’ve been mine too.”
Now, Emil’s light lives on, as the incredible reception from people all over the globe prompted Giorgio to release his original piece Dear Emil which is now available on Spotify.
To listen, just click here: Dear Emil.
