In a new interview with The Guardian, Rufus Wainwright talks about the death of his mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle:
"The farewell became, as Rufus recalls, inevitably, an impromptu performance: 'We sang to her as she lay there… as we were having this jamboree, her breathing became more laboured and she made a moaning noise. One of the nurses said this could go on for four days and we had already exhausted the back catalogue. Then Kate breathed a little differently, it was like she was saying, 'Hold on, I'm going to end this show', and she died. I was looking right into her face, her eyes were open, and my aunt Jane was holding her hand. It was an amazing experience…'"