Tyla Wanstall releases song in memory of mum Leah Churchill and sister Brooke Wanstall
17:47, 16 February 2024
A heartbroken son who lost his mother and little sister in a horror accident has released a rap track in their memory on the anniversary of their deaths.
Tyla Wanstall discovered his mum Leah Churchill and his 17-year-old sibling Brooke Wanstall lifeless in his burger van in Herne Bay on his birthday last year.
Warning: The track includes expletives
They had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after turning on a generator.
Yesterday – a year since they died – he released a song dedicated to the pair.
The music video, titled I Wish Somebody Would Have Told Me, has gained 11,000 views on YouTube in one day.
Listeners have showered the release with praise, with one saying it gave them “chills”.
Mr Wanstall – whose musical title is T.Y – told KentOnline: “I wrote it pretty much as soon as they died and then I just sort of had it there for ages.
“I've always found it easier to express my feelings through music rather than actually standing and talking to somebody.
“It was more of a coping mechanism than anything.
“I put a tune on and I just started writing, and next thing before you knew, I'd written the whole song.”
The lyrics feature lines such as “I hope you are up there looking down on me. I just want to be the best I can be for my family”.
The 27-year-old also sings: “The day I found you both is stuck up in my head.
“I rang my girlfriend, Beth, she couldn't believe what I said.
"I opened up the door I found my mum and sister dead.
“On my 26th birthday, what a mess."
He said the lyrics “just came to him”, adding: “One day I was sat there, and it just sort of all come out.
“I wrote it over a couple of days, and then left it on my phone for months, and never done anything with it.”
Mr Wanstall showed the draft to some friends, who convinced him to release it.
It is not the first track he has red, having been making music since he was 12.
Mr Wanstall also travels around the country as a drum and bass MC.
He is hoping to make rapping a full-time career in the future.
The rapper received high praise for his track, with one YouTube commenter Sophie Lauren saying: “I can not give you enough credit for this song Ty.
“It honestly gives me chills. Your mum and Brooke touched many people’s hearts.
“You and your family are often in my thoughts.”
Another added: “This made me cry. Ty, you are such a courageous man for the trauma you’ve all been through.
“That story has stuck with me since the morning I read it. Heartbreaking to read about how amazing your mum are sister were from genuine, nice people who loved them massively.”
The music video was filmed at Herne Bay Crematorium by Leah and Brooke’s graves and was “emotional” to do.
Friends of Brooke joined the musician and featured in the clip.
The heartbroken son added: “My mum and my sister would be proud of the song.
“They supported my music career and I even played drum and bass at their wake.
“Leah especially loved my music. They would have loved that it’s about them.”
On February 14 last year, Mr Wanstall went to his burger van after arriving in the morning to set up.
Leah and Brooke had gone to the vehicle the night before to decorate it with banners for his birthday.
But they had started up a petrol generator – for either lighting or heat – which led to them being quickly overcome with fumes.
Instead of a happy scene, Tyla made the horrific and haunting discovery of the lifeless bodies of his mum and sister. A birthday card had been left on the side.
A toxicology test revealed the pair had fatal levels of carbon monoxide in their system.