Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'Clouds' by teen who died of cancer hits' No. 1 on iTunes

Seven years after his death to cancer at age 18, a Minnesota singer-songwriter has returned to the top of the iTunes chart

Via AP news wire
Monday 19 October 2020 13:18 BST
Teen Cancer Song
Teen Cancer Song

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Seven years after his death to cancer at age 18, a Minnesota singer-songwriter has returned to the top of the iTunes chart with his inspirational tune “Clouds.”

The Star Tribune reports that “Clouds” by Zach Sobiech took over iTunes’ No. 1 slot from Justin Bieber on Sunday, two days after the Hollywood movie of the same name based on Sobiech’s life premiered on Disney+.

The ranking is based on downloads of the song. The profits which will add to the $2 million already raised for cancer research via Sobiech’s namesake foundation.

The single first climbed to the top of iTunes in 2013, shortly after the Stillwater-area teenager s death. He had been diagnosed with bone cancer four years earlier.

By that point, the YouTube video that led to the song’s ascent had been viewed 4 million times. It's up over 15 million now. The song also went to No. 26 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the rock singles chart.

The movie is an adaptation of the memoir “Fly a Little Higher” by Zach’s mother, Laura Sobiech.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in