Tom DeLonge: Blink-182 guitarist offers support to fan
A US rock star has offered his support to a British fan living with mental health problems.
Jamie Tidnam of Ipswich reached out to former Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge, who is now lead singer of the band Angels and Airwaves, on Twitter. He wrote that DeLonge's music had helped him battle through a "tough time battling mental health" problems. DeLonge retweeted his message - which has now been viewed more than 35,000 times - and also replied to him. The star also dedicated his band page to 28-year-old Mr Tidnam. Mr Tidnam said he has been a fan of DeLonge since he was part of pop-punk group Blink-182, which has been described by the New York Times as one of the most influential punk bands of the 1990s. He said he wrote to DeLonge because his songs had helped him when he was suffering from a borderline personality disorder and being helped by Suffolk mental health services. Mr Tidnam said the rock star had "got me through the bad days". He said he was "shocked" when DeLonge replied to his tweet. "He is such a big celebrity. I did not think he was going to reply," he said. Mr Tidnam said he wants to write and record a song to raise awareness of mental health issues.