A homeless man is getting plenty of attention after a video that caught him playing on a public piano went viral. Aroar Natasha was walking in Sarasota, Florida when she heard Donald Gould playing on one of the public pianos throughout downtown. His playing took her breath away so she recorded him and shared the video on Facebook, where it quickly got more than 1 million views.
It turns out Gould, 51, is a former Marine and once was once a music teacher. He learned lots of different instruments at school (he is actually a clarinet player) at school and has an incredible musical talent.
He’s also had his struggles, which lead him to life on the streets. He told WFLA that his wife died in 1998 and his son was taken away from him because of his drug addiction, something that haunts him to this day.
Gould said he’s overwhelmed by all the attention he’s received since the video was released. A local restaurant has said they are willing to give him a try out playing piano in their bar and a GoFundMe was set up to help him.
Gould plays on the piano because of his deep love of music. “It is my passion. I just like to make people happy out there when I’m playing,” Gould told the news station Florida news station. “I put my hat out there and sit it on top of the keyboard in hopes of making tips because I’m homeless.” When he’s not entertaining passers-by, he’s teaching the kids who stop by for free.
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