Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage. At age 14, Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house and, at 15, she signed her first record deal.
Her 2006 eponymous debut album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US. Its third single, "Our Song", made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008.
Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", it became the US' best-selling album of 2009 and was certified diamond in the US. The album won four Grammy Awards, and Swift became the youngest Album of the Year winner.
Wife of Scots rugby hero Doddie Weir describes him as 'inspirational force of nature'
dailyrecord.co.ukThe wife of Scotland rugby hero Doddie Weir, who battled motor neurone disease for six years before his death, told how he had been “an inspirational force of nature”.
Kathy said the 6ft 6in sportsman was as brave off the field as he was on it, raising £8 million for MND research. She said: “His unending energy and drive and his strength of character powered him through his rugby and business careers and, we believe, enabled him to fight the effects of MND for so many years. “Doddie put the same energy and even more love and fun into our lives together – he was a true family man.
It is difficult to put into words how much we will miss him.“MND took so much from Doddie but never his spirit and determination.
He battled MND so bravely and, while his own battle may be over, his fight continues through his foundation until a cure is found for all those with this devastating disease.“Doddie was an inspirational force of nature.”The 52-year-old, capped 61 times for his country and with a personality to match his huge height, set about raising awareness of the disease through his My Name’5 Doddie foundation.Despite being told he would be unable to walk within a year of his diagnosis, Doddie defied doctors for four years before the muscle-wasting condition took the use of his arms and legs completely.Dedicating the last five years of his life to raising awareness of, and money for, the condition, he became one of the world’s leading MND campaigners.His sense of humour, tartan suits and his ability to connect with people meant that he made huge strides in the battle for better treatment and understanding of the illness.In 2019 he was awarded an OBE for services to rugby, MND research and to the Borders community, where he lived
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
