Samuel Johnson’s amazing tribute to little girl who dressed as his sister Connie Johnson for school ‘Hero Day’
The sister of actor Samuel Johnson left behind an incredible legacy following her death last year, which this adorable little girl wanted to celebrate at school.
Live News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Live News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s no secret that Australian actor and voiceover artist Samuel Johnson shared an incredible bond with his late sister Connie, who died last year at age 40 after a long battle with cancer.
His legacy to Connie has been building an online community called Love Your Sister. Hundreds of thousands of supporters, many who are living with cancer or have a loved one battling the disease, have come together on social media to celebrate Connie’s memory and continue raising money to find a cure for cancer.
Today that community was reminded of the incredible impact Connie had on the world.
A little girl called Mila dressed up as Connie for her school’s Hero Day.
Samuel shared a photo of Mila dressed in an oversized black jumper and warm knitted beanie — just like the one Connie used to wear — on Facebook.
“This pic came from a village friend, who was sent it by a fella after a chance encounter. This little button had to go to school as her hero and she went as Connie. Heart. Crushed,” Samuel wrote on Facebook.
MORE NEWS:
Girl, 7, choked, raped and filmed, court told
Hamzy’s journey from murderer to cocaine kingpin
Is Dr Chris Brown dating a fellow Channel 10 host?
Some other Love Your Sister followers revealed other young girls have also dressed as Connie at various school events.
“We had a girl also go as Connie for ‘Night of Notables’. Your sister made a big impact on the world,” one woman wrote. Samuel replied: “There’s more than one?! I want to meet them all!”
Connie’s long battle with cancer was first made public during the 2017 Logies during Samuel’s Gold Logie acceptance speech. He dedicated his award to Connie and encouraged Australians to donate towards cancer research.
“On behalf of my beautiful sister Connie, who I dedicate this award to, I would like to urge any family watching affected by cancer or not to join us in our quest to keep our families safe from the terrors of cancer,” Johnson said, accepting the award for his portrayal of Molly Meldrum. “I love you, Connie, I love you.”
Samuel has devoted the past few years to tirelessly raising money for cancer research.
In 2016, the star of The Secret Life Of Us and Molly announced that he was quitting acting to focus on full-time charity work, in support of Connie and others. He had previously spent one year cycling around the country on a unicycle in 2014 to raise $1.75 million for cancer support.
“I cannot play pretend on telly while our families are falling,” he said after his 2016 decision to shelve acting.
“Cancer is the last true riddle of our time … and I wanna be part of the push to solve it once and for all.”
Just before she died, Connie was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her tireless work to raise millions of dollars for cancer research.
Samuel announced his sister’s death on Facebook at the time.
“We lost Connie today. Or, as she asked me to say, she died of cancer today. It was so beautiful. We laughed, we cried, we sang stupid songs from our childhood to her, which she loved (mostly!),” Samuel wrote.
“I read her so many village messages, which she relished. She went so richly, and with such grace. Trust me, she was genuinely cushioned by your love, ’til the end.”
He said he was “sad and sorry” to share the news of her death but “extremely grateful and proud”.
“I’m off to cuddle the fam and warmly embrace an exquisite whisky, in memory of my sister, who did so bloody well, from start to finish. Thanks for everything, Connie Cottonsocks. It was my pleasure to be your Sammy Seal.”
Connie is survived by her husband Mike Johnson and two young sons, Willoughby, 12, and Hamilton, 11.
Download The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph app for your smartphone or tablet to get the full story.
APPLE: DOWNLOAD THE APP FOR iOS
GOOGLE PLAY: DOWNLOAD THE APP FOR ANDROID
WHAT YOU GET WITH OUR APP
► Live and latest news — Get the news as it breaks 24-hours a day, 7 days a week
► My News — Your own personal news feed. Tailor your news to get straight to the topics that matter to you
► Today’s Paper — Read the paper anytime, anywhere with the digital replica of the paper, as its printed
► Notifications — Be the first to know when big stories break with instant news alerts straight to the locked screen on your smartphone and tablet
► Live Sport Scores — Stay on the ball with NRL and AFL live sport scores and expect analysis
► Share — Join the conversation and share your favourite stories via Facebook, Twitter or email
► Daily puzzles — With new crosswords and Sudoku puzzles every day, there’s always something to keep your mind active
► Subscribe — Through the app (via iTunes) to start your 30-day FREE trial; then your subscription will automatically renew to $29.99 per month.