Four days after FaceTiming with Beyoncé, the singer’s super fan, Ebony Banks died. The Houston teen, who was battling a rare form of cancer, passed away on March 26. Ebony's high school in Beyonce’s hometown of Houston, Texas — Alief Hastings High School — confirmed the sad news on Twitter, informing students of a candlelight vigil being held in honour of the late student.
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Days before her passing, Jay Z’s wife granted Ebony one of her final wishes — to see Beyoncé. Ebony had the chance to FaceTime her idol last week, after a viral social media campaign was brought to the expectant singer’s attention. In the clip, postedo nline by the Beyonce fan site Bey Lite, the Love on Top songstress was recorded smiling as Ebony told her :“I love you.” The 35-year-old, who appeared on the other side of the screen, waved and smiled, telling Ebony: "I love you."
Beyoncé granted a dying teen's wish
One of Ebony’s classmates celebrated the special moment with a tweet. “We made it happen! This is why I love alief,” the photo of the virtual meeting was captioned. The teen’s friends started the campaign #EbobMeetsBeyonce to give back to Ebony, who is a member of the school's color guard and has spent the majority of her senior year in MD Anderson Hospital seeking treatment. Earlier this month, the school held a special graduation ceremony for Ebony alongside family and friends inside of the Houston facility.
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This is not the first time Beyoncé has made a dying fan's wish come true. Back 2009, Blue Ivy’s mum pulled Australian cancer patient Chelsea Lee James on stage and sang Halo to her during a show in Sydney. Chelsea, who passed away in April 2014, hugged the star and cried as she performed the song in her honor. Beyoncé was reunited with Chelsea again in 2013, during a backstage meeting at the Mrs. Carter World Tour. After the show, Beyonce sent a special text to Chelsea and her family that read: “My beautiful angel! Thank you for the pictures. You have no idea how happy you made me seeing you. I will see you next time I’m in Australia. Love, Beyonce.”
