01:59 AM EDT 10/15/2009
David Cook
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David Cook's Heartbreaking Return to Performing
Originally posted 05/09/2009 12:15PM
David Cook started singing a slow song, stopped and turned away from the audience.
"It's gonna be tough for me," the Idol champ told the crowd of 450 at the Musica theater in Akron, Ohio, on Friday night. "Hold on. I'm sorry. Do you mind if I sing a different song?"
Taking the beat up a notch, Cook then energized the crowd, who passed up flowers and cards and held up signs in honor of his brother, Adam, who died May 2 at age 37 of cancer.
It was a night of emotional extremes for Cook, 26, now back on tour after Adam's death. Speaking of his brother throughout the night, he struggled through some songs – even walking out in the middle of one of them – but exhibited swagger on others.
Permalink | Filed Under: Music NewsDavid Cook
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David Cook: My Brother Was a Great Man
Originally posted 05/04/2009 05:00PM
David Cook learned that his brother Adam died hours before the Idol champ was scheduled to take part in the Race for Hope in Washington, D.C. – but says that despite the devastating news, he never thought of pulling out. Instead, he wanted to participate in tribute to his late brother.
"My brother never wanted his illness to affect others," Cook, 26, writes on his Celebrity MySpace page. "That was evident in the fact that he wanted his illness to have no part in my experience on Idol, a point he was quite adamant about. So, with that wish in mind, I ran and was involved with the event as an homage to him."
Cook announced the news of his brother Adam's death at the event on Sunday. The 5K race benefited the National Brain Tumor Society and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.
Permalink | Filed Under: David Cook
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David Archuleta: My Heart Goes Out to David Cook
Originally posted 05/04/2009 03:00PM
David Archuleta was once David Cook's main competitor on American Idol – but now has only kind words for his friend, who lost his brother, Adam, to brain cancer over the weekend.
"It really struck me when I heard about the news of Cook's brother," Archuleta says in a statement. "I know they had been struggling with it for a while, so my heart really goes out to them. It's so admirable the way he's handling it though, and it's amazing to see him there as an example for millions of other people who have also been affected the same way he and his family have."
Continues the statement: "I'll be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers, and hope the Cook family stays strong."
Permalink | Filed Under: David Archuleta, David Cook
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Simon Cowell Calls Adam Cook an 'Incredible Guy'
Originally posted 05/03/2009 10:45PM
In the American Idol world, the death of current champ David Cook's brother Adam was felt immediately.
Paula Abdul expressed her sympathy in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE: "Adam Cook was a part of our extended American Idol family who supported his brother wholeheartedly, even through his own fight. My heart goes out not only to David, but his family as well."
Adam Cook, 37, had battled cancer for more than a decade, including throughout Cook's bid for the American Idol crown last year. The Terre Haute, Ind., lawyer had even flown out to L.A. amid chemotherapy treatment to see his brother, 26, take the Idol stage.
It was a commitment that didn't go unnoticed by the judges. Simon Cowell, too, offered his condolences. "I was incredibly saddened to hear the news," he said in a statement to PEOPLE. "I met Adam Cook a few times at American Idol. He was an incredible guy, and right now my thoughts are with David and his family."
– Shawna Malcom and Monica Rizzo
Permalink | Filed Under: David Cook, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell
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Idol David Cook's Brother Dies of Cancer
Originally posted 05/03/2009 02:45PM
After battling cancer for more than a decade, David Cook's brother, Adam, died Saturday, the American Idol winner announced Sunday morning before the 12th annual Race for Hope 5K in Washington, D.C.
"I actually lost my brother yesterday to a brain tumor and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now," Cook, 26, told the crowd at the benefit for brain cancer research (see video here). Cook was both serving as grand marshal and running with a team that raised $98,000.
Cook's brother, Adam, 37, had battled the disease throughout Cook's American Idol competition, and had the chance to see his younger sibling perform in April 2008 on the famous stage. At the time, Adam, a married father and lawyer in Terre Haute, Ind., was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Permalink | Filed Under: David Cook
David Cook Wore Brave Face to Race, Organizer Says
Originally posted 05/03/2009 05:45PM
Sunday morning, American Idol winner David Cook was still reeling from the death of his older brother Adam, but he didn't let his personal tragedy stop him from serving as grand marshal of Washington, D.C.'s 12 annual Race for Hope 5K.
"David is beyond the most courageous young person I have ever known," says Jeff Kolodin, co-chair of the race, which benefited the National Brain Tumor Society and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.
Cook, 26, stood before the 9,000 participants on the rainy Sunday, first joking that he was there to get a tan, then rallying them around the cause before revealing the news of Adam Cook's death.
Permalink | Filed Under: David Cook
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David Cook to Run for Brain Cancer Charity
Originally posted 04/16/2009 04:00PM
In the midst of a busy tour schedule, David Cook is planning to take a break – well, technically a run – for a cause close to his heart on May 3 in Washington, D.C.
Cook, 26, whose brother Adam has been battling brain cancer for over a decade, will serve as grand marshal in the Race for Hope 5K, which benefits brain cancer research, and run the race as part of a team he set up – which has already raised more than $40,000.
"He wants nothing from us at all," says race co-chair Jeff Kolodin, who contacted PEOPLE with the story. "This transcends fame and money and everything else. He just wants to help the cause."
Permalink | Filed Under: David Cook
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David Cook Cancels Shows Due to 'Family Matters'
Originally posted 03/31/2009 08:30PM
American Idol champ David Cook hopes to return to his tour later this week after canceling two shows "to deal with personal family matters."
The singer did not elaborate in the announcement posted on his Web site. But Cook's brother Adam has been battling brain cancer for over a decade, and Cook's rep tells PEOPLE that David spent time with Adam last week.
Cook, 26, who canceled college campus shows Monday and Tuesday in New Hampshire and Connecticut, will appear on Idol in a taped performance Wednesday. He is planning to get back on the road Thursday, his rep says. Concert dates are currently scheduled through October.
Permalink | Filed Under: Music News, David Cook
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David Cook Tells Overly Aggressive Fans to Back Off
Originally posted 03/23/2009 07:45PM
Fame has gotten ugly at times for American Idol champ David Cook, who issued a plea for his privacy while on tour.
"The efforts by some fans to find our hotel rooms, call our hotel rooms, attach things to our bus, etc., is something I have to condemn," he says in his My Space Celebrity blog under the heading "Attention."
Cook, 26, says that while he prides himself on being accessible to fans, "We do enjoy what little privacy we can muster."
"This relationship only works when it remains healthy for both parties," he says, "and should this behavior continue, the only thing we can do is take more preventative measures to maintain our privacy, which in turn makes us less accessible to you."
Permalink | Filed Under: Music NewsDavid Cook
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David Cook and David Archuleta Announce Spring Tours
Originally posted 01/28/2009 07:15PM
Last season's American Idol winner David Cook and runner-up David Archuleta announced separate tours that kick off next month.
Cook, 26, will premiere his first solo tour – The Declaration Tour 2009 – on Feb. 13 in Tallahassee, Fla. His tour will continue across the country at college campuses through April 25, ending at the University of Tulsa.
"There's something inherently nostalgic about playing college shows," said Cook on his Web site. "So many amazing acts used to do it, so it's nice to be able to bring that ideal back in some small way."
Season 7 runner-up Archuleta, 18, kicks off his first solo tour on Feb. 24 in Virginia Beach, Va., according to his MySpace blog. His 20-city tour ends on March 21 in Boise, Idaho. – Elaine Aradillas
Permalink | Filed Under: David Archuleta, David Cook
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