Ministry of Sound to host fundraising rave for DJ ‘legend’ Ashley Beedle

DJs, including Fatboy Slim, will host a seven-hour charity rave to raise funds for the care of music producer and cancer patient Ashley Beedle.

The Dance for Ashley event at the Ministry of Sound in London has been set up to raise money to support the British house music pioneer’s healthcare needs.

The line-up for the marathon gig on Wednesday night has a number of Beedle’s friends and fellow DJs including Fatboy Slim, Gilles Peterson ft. Earl Zinger, Hot Chip band founder Joe Goddard and Huey Morgan.

Ashley Beedle with his friend and manager Adam Dewhurst (right) (Adam Dewhurst/PA)

Beedle, 62, was a member of Black Science Orchestra and X Press 2 and his remix of Elton John’s 1979 single Are You Ready For Love reached number one in the charts in 2003, but recent health complications have left him with speech and mobility issues.

He suffered a brain bleed and seizure due to the rupture of a brain mass late last year – four years after he was diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer.

He then had a stroke in February 2024 during a lengthy operation to remove the mass, causing him to lose movement on his right side and the ability to speak.

It's made me break down a few times after I’ve left visiting him, just his positivity is just heartbreakingly amazing

Adam Dewhurst, Beedle's manager and friend

Adam Dewhurst, Beedle’s manager and friend, has organised the Ministry of Sound event and similar gigs in Dublin and Belfast to raise funds to support Beedle’s medical care.

“Ashley’s needs are going to be ongoing for the rest of his life,” Mr Dewhurst told the PA news agency.

“He has lost all mobility on his right side and he’ll be in a wheelchair for life now – he needs 24-hour care.

“It’s made me break down a few times after I’ve left visiting him, just his positivity is just heartbreakingly amazing.”

Mr Dewhurst, who also managed singer James Brown, says the overwhelming response and support of the fundraiser is “testament to Ashley as a person”.

A GoFundMe for Beedle has raised more than £167,000 as of November 26 and received support from some of the UK’s leading musicians and DJs including Mark Ronson and Calvin Harris.

“Its like watching karma in real time,” said Mr Dewhurst.

“He’s an utter legend.

“I’ve had to do very little in pulling these gigs together, as they’re all Ashley’s friends.”

Ashley Beedle with his fellow Black Science Orchestra member Rob Mello (Adam Dewhurst/PA)

Mr Dewhurst said Beedle has recently been discharged from a residential rehabilitation centre and is beginning to be able to speak again.

But he will remain in a nursing home indefinitely until assisted living accommodation becomes available through the local council housing list.

The money from the fundraiser will go towards providing the musician with access to private physiotherapy treatment, a hospital bed to use at home and potentially an accessible home studio.

“I’m hoping, if he continues the way it’s going, we’ll be able to get him out of their place and into some form of his own accommodation with his wife early next year,” Mr Dewhurst added.

Three Dance for Ashley events have been organised – one at the Ministry of Sound on November 27 and two on December 1 in Belfast and Dublin.

To find out more visit Ashley Beedle’s fundraising page at: gofundme.com/f/ashley-beedles-fundraiser-for-urgent-help-and-ongoing-care