What happened to Ashley Beedle? GoFundMe launched for the legendary house DJ amidst health complications

Ashley Beedle suffered a stroke earlier this year, during a 16-hour surgery to remove a ruptured brain mass as well as stem a brain bleed. This stroke has now caused loss of a mobility and a speech disability. While the DJ has somewhat recovered, the mobility will not return and he will require constant care, which led to the establishment of the GoFundME page for him.

A press release elaborated on the situation on September 3, 2024, stating:

"Ashley wants you to know that he is a survivor and not a victim and he says ‘thank you’ to all of you who contribute towards the fund. Since recovering in Kings College’s Critical Care unit, Ashley has proved himself to be a fighter and has surmounted all odds with an incredible sense of humour and determination that has impressed everyone involved"

The statement continued with:

"Sadly, the diagnosis is that Ashley’s mobility won’t return to his right side and he will be confined to a wheelchair requiring full time carers for the majority of his activities including bathing and getting in and out of bed."

The statement ended with:

"Ashley and his family are now facing the reality of not just the physical and medical challenges, but also the many financial ones, having used all their savings to get to this stage."

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More on Ashley Beedle's GoFundMe page

The Ashley Beedle GoFundME page details the situation in its description, laying out in more detail how the DJ has recovered with care from the NHS and how he and his family are faced with a financial situation, before describing the purpose of the campaign as follows:

"The GoFundMe monies will go towards providing Ashley with a secure and comfortable future with access to private physio treatment, wheelchair friendly furniture, a hospital bed for home use etc. Ashley wants you to know that he is a survivor and not a victim and he says ‘thank you’ to all of you who contribute towards the fund."

The page is currently in its second stretch goal of £125,000, of which £88,056 has already been raised. The page's £50,000 first stretch goal was funded soon after its announcement, with over 2 thousand people donating to the fund.

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A brief overview of Ashley Beedle's career

Ashley Beedle started his career in the late 70s, DJing at the Rayners Lane Estate Community Hall. In the 1980s, he formed the Black Science Orchestra with Rob Mello and John Howard.

The Black Science Orchestra had some success with its sole studio album, Walters Room, which was released in 1996 with a revised lineup of Beedle, Marc Woolford, and Uschi Classen. The album charted at number 68 on the UK album chart.

Concurrently with Black Science Orchestra, the DJ also had another project, titled The Ballistic Brothers, which he started with David Hill and Rocky & Diesel as well as Uschi Classen. The Brothers released two studio albums, as well as two collections.

The DJ had his first chart-topper in 2003 when he remixed Elton John's track Are You Ready for Love. Finally, around the same time, the DJ started a series of DJ and house music parties with Dave Jarvis, titled the Heavy Disco series. This was followed by a period of quieter years before Ashley Beedle returned to the spotlight with a series of remixes during the pandemic.