Coldplay pay tribute to Gene Wilder with ‘Pure Imagination’ cover
The band honoured the late comic actor during their US tour
Coldplay paid tribute to Gene Wilder, who died yesterday, by covering ‘Pure Imagination’, sung by the actor in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, during their gig in Denver.
In the 1971 film, Wilder performs the number as the golden ticket winners first enter the edible world of Wonka’s secretive confectionary factory.
The band played an acoustic rendition of Wilder’s most memorable scene at their concert in Denver’s Pepsi Center last night.
In a video posted on Twitter by the group, technicolor confetti rains down on the audience as Chris Martin sings the famous chorus: “Come with me and we’ll be in a world of pure imagination”.
In a world of pure imagination… R42 pic.twitter.com/R2KD3kA0RK
— Coldplay (@coldplay) August 30, 2016
Wilder, also known for roles in classic films such as Young Frankenstein, The Producers and Blazing Saddles, passed away at the age of 83 as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1989.
Following news of his death, Russell Crowe, Stephen Fry, Kevin Smith, Billy Crystal and many more paid tribute to the comic actor on Twitter.