This past weekend several Panthers players serenaded a grieving widow with the heart-warming song “Lean on Me”.
Over the past few years, Lynn Leonhardt, who lives in California, developed a love for the Carolina Panthers with the help of the The Roaring Riot and a small circle of friends called the ‘Girl Gang’.
Lynn was faced with a truly life-shattering tragedy this past March when her husband suddenly passed away from an unexpected heart condition. She wasn’t looking for help, but when her Panthers family heard about the tragedy, they were all there for her.
“I turned to the people who I loved the most and that was the people who I’d developed here through Panthers and Twitter and Girl Gang and the Roaring Riot group. They were there for me, talked to me, checked on me, supported me; the nurses in the group were there giving me information and consultation that I needed to understand what had happened,” Lynn told the Roaring Riot.
The Roaring Riot then asked her if she’d like to attend a Panthers game, all expenses paid (including travel costs)…obviously she said yes.
They then coordinated with the Panthers for a private tour…and a private performance of one of the most heartwarming songs imaginable with Carolina Panthers running backs Christian McCaffrey, Fozzy Whittaker and Jonathan Stewart;
We heard one of our fans could use her spirits lifted…
So @Jonathanstewar1, @run__cmc & @FozzyWhitt pitched in with a special song. pic.twitter.com/FR0MRvKDvu
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 5, 2017
After the song, the Roaring Riot asked Lynn about her experience;
“I walk through this small corridor and just as I turn the corner, there sits Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Stewart starting to play at the keyboards for me, and I’m seeing a mass of people filming and obviously waiting for my reaction. And then Fozzy comes out and starts singing and I’m being serenaded, “Lean On Me” and all I could do was blubber and cry. The thing that struck me was ‘How lucky am I?’ Through all the horrible anguish, to have friends this amazing, through football, come together and surround me with love and support. It was humbling and just an amazing experience.”
“I’m still kind of in denial to say ‘Why am I so lucky?’ And just to be able to ask ‘Why am I so lucky?’ in such a horrible year, that means the world.”