HOLLYWOOD star Sean Bean will attend the memorial service being held for campaigning journalist Adrian Sudbury next week.
The Sheffield-born actor, 49, will give a reading at the service at Sheffield Cathedral on October 16.
The service, starting at 2pm, will celebrate the life of Adrian, who died of leukaemia in August, aged just 27.
Examiner reporter Adrian, who lived in Sheffield, had spent his last months campaigning to raise awareness about bone marrow donation – particularly among 17 and 18-year-olds.
The achievements of his Sign Up For Sudders campaign will be highlighted at the service.
Sheffield United fan Sean – known for his roles in Sharpe and Lord Of The Rings – will read an extract from a poem entitled On Death, by Indian poet Khalil Gibran.
Sean had met Adrian in July 2007, when they both promoted a cancer campaign at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.
The Sheffield Leukaemia Blood Disorders Appeal aimed to raise £150,000 for equipment on the wards of the hospital, where Adrian underwent some of his treatment.
Adrian and Sean planted a tree together in the hospital grounds as a lasting reminder of the appeal.
Sean’s father Brian Bean, from Handsworth, had been receiving treatment for lymphoma – a form of cancer that affects the immune system.
Adrian’s parents, Keith and Kay, said they were pleased that Sean would be at the service.
They hope that his presence will bring a high profile to the event and help to spread Adrian’s message about bone marrow donation further.
Keith said: “We are very pleased. He has supported leukaemia appeals in the past and it is very nice that he’s putting something back in this way. We are happy that he’s going to be at the service and I am sure he will be a big hit.”
