Our wonderful dad, Chris Knaggs, passed away on the 6th November 2022 after a long battle with Vasculitis; a rare and relatively unknown condition. 

He passed away to the sounds of Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” and Little Feat’s “Willin” - so it’s only right that in his memory we put on a great night of music in London to celebrate his life. 

My dad spent most of his working life as a photographer and had a studio in Shoreditch for many years. He was a huge music fan and a musician himself - bass guitar was his thing and he always played in bands and blasted music in his studio whilst he was at work. Every week he would attend a blues jam in Ealing; where he met some of his life long friends.

He took me to guitar lessons every Sunday when I was a kid, where I learnt how to play the songs of my favourite bands. I was hooked and it’s been a shared passion of ours ever since. 

He said to me recently that “Music will always be your friend” and he couldn’t have been more right. 

Me, my sister and mother have chosen VasculitisUK as our charity of choice for this fundraising event. Please join us in a night of celebration and music.  

Some backstory here for those who were not aware of my dad’s condition…

….12 years ago my dad was diagnosed with a very cruel and relatively unknown condition called Vasculitis. There is currently no cure for this condition. With more funding and research, we and VasculitisUK hope to change that. 

The condition may be triggered by an infection or a medicine -  although often the cause is unknown. Vasculitis can range from causing minor problems, to more serious illnesses that affect the organs like the heart or kidneys.

My dad had a rare type of Vasculitis called Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA). The illness attacked his body, eventually leading to kidney failure and acute lung fibrosis. 

It’s a cruel and vicious illness. I didn’t hear my dad complain once, despite the immense pain and suffering he was put through over the years and the relentless hospitalisations in recent times. 

Despite all this, he carried on, stayed strong and remarkably positive for himself and his family. 

He will be truly missed by us and all of those who knew him. He really was a wonderfully kind, wise and caring individual and I know he would have loved to have come to a show like this.  

Lewis and the Knaggs family 

Xxxx