After tearfully watching his grandson Jon Wayne Hatfield audition for American Idol, the elderly man and his grandson left the room with a golden ticket to the Hollywood round.
"We did it!" said the old man, holding the ticket. Quickly he corrected himself, "He did it! He did it!"
Hatfield, 21, from Goshen, punched his ticket to Hollywood by performing "Tell Me Ray," which he wrote about his grandfather's reluctance to tell Hatfield – whom he had raised since age 5 – that he was gay.
"My grandpa always was my best friend," Hatfield told judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryant during a eight-minute feature in the first 20 minutes of Sunday's broadcast. His grandfather, who sat on a stool in the audition room watching Hatfield sing, was not identified by name or town.
"He'd go out in the backyard and climb trees with me all the time. It was the best life you could ever ask for," said Hatfield, who went to live with his grandparents due to his mother's addiction.
After Hatfield's grandmother died three years ago, his grandfather "wouldn't talk to anybody for the first year and a half – not even me. I got mad at myself because I couldn't fix it," the singer told the judges.
Then the old man explained on the show: "Jon was the last person I told (about being gay). I was scared he'd stop loving me . . . It turned out that he was there for me more than anybody."
After Hatfield sang "Tell Me Ray," his grandfather said: "This song means a lot to me. It made me believe more in myself. I love you for that. It's a big relief to stand here and be proud to say, 'I'm gay, and there's nothing wrong it it.' Jon, my grandson, is my rock.
The judges gave Hatfield a standing ovation. Then Richie gave the old man his handkerchief to wipe his tears.
"You're a hell of an inspiration, man," Richie said to the old man. "A lot of us don't get a lot of encouragement. You have to fight for it. To have that kid write a song about you is very special."
Many Idol viewers may relate to the message in Hatfield's song, Bryant said.
"What I love about being a part of this show is that people come in and bare their souls in front of us, and people at home that may be dealing with the same stuff get to realize that they're not alone. You guys being able to handle it, and sing about, and tell your story, is a amazing."
Perry praised Hatfield's composition.
"What you showed us today was so authentic, so beautiful. You're a songwriter. You've got a story to tell," she said
The judges gave Hatfield a second standing ovation and announced he was going to Hollywood – with his grandfather.
The long Idol feature, however, didn't provide a lot of information about Hatfield's background. He was identified as a 21-year-old songwriter from Goshen. It did not say where he grew up or attended school, where he has performed, or how many songs he had written. It also did not mention anything about his father.
Hatfield was the second Greater Cincinnati singer to advance to Hollywood in two weeks this season. Michael Williams, 21, a former Kings Island entertainer from Deerfield Township, advanced to Hollywood on the Idol season premiere last week.
