The loss of her mother Celia Gofton has devastated singer and TV personality Lauren Laverne, who was born in Sunderland.
Lauren Laverne resigned from hosting coverage of Glastonbury this weekend following the death of her “compassionate and tenacious” mother, Celia Gofton.
Daughter Lauren, a singer-turned-TV and radio presenter who was born in Sunderland, shared the news on social media as Celia prepared to see Sir Paul McCartney perform at the famed event. As a result, Lauren has canceled her weekend Worthy Farm hosting duties for the BBC.
What Happened To Celia Gofton? Death of Lauren Laverne’s Mother Explained
Celia, also known as Cecilia Gofton, served as a Labour councilor for the Pallion ward from 2006 to 2018 and was a member of the council’s cabinet. She sadly passed away, albeit the exact reason of death is yet unknown.
In a touching Instagram post, the morning show host, 44, who is representing the BBC at the Somerset festival, honored her mother.
The DJ described Celia as the “kindest and most tenacious person I have ever known” and expressed her “complete anguish” over her passing.
She continued the lengthy essay by outlining her mother’s life, which included going to school and receiving care at UCLH. Born in the middle of nine children, Cecilia excelled as a negotiator and persuasive speaker.
In closing the post, she expressed her gratitude to the “team at UCHL who cared” for her mother and her family.
How old was Celia Gofton at the time of her death?
The age of Celia Gofton is unknown. Though it is speculated that she may be in her late 60s based on her photographs.
Lauren claims that her mother first met her father when she was 16 and has always cherished him. She ran the only reggae club night in the Northeast and claimed that being young in the 1960s was like the line from Mr. Tambourine Man, “to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free.”
Working as a seamstress and casino dancer, Celia paid her way through college (while also creating costumes for the troupe). She then became a superb educator and finally was in charge of all of Sunderland’s institutions.
Celia had Lauren and her brother at some point, got active in politics, demonstrated at Greenham Common, and eventually won election to the local council, as Lauren noted in her tribute post.
The Parents of Lauren Laverne
In Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, where she was born as Lauren Gofton, Lauren Laverne was nurtured in a large family. Both of my grandfathers had jobs, either as miners or shipbuilders.
Her father, Dr. Leslie Gofton, was a sociology professor at Newcastle University, and her mother was a teacher. She began attending St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School in 1982, where she befriended Marie Nixon, who would later become a guitarist for Kenickie.
She later attended St. Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic School from 1989 to 1994, when she and Nixon met Emma Jackson. Laverne continued her schooling at City of Sunderland College from 1994 to 1996.
