The story of 11-year-old piano prodigy Jude Kofie warmed hearts on Twitter after a complete stranger gifted the boy with a $15,000 grand piano.
“He’s beyond special. He’s Mozart level. It’s coming from somewhere beyond,” piano tuner Bill Magnusson said of young Kofie’s musical talent.
Magnusson, using an inheritance he received from his father, gifted a $15,000 grand piano to Kofie after he saw the piano prodigy on local news.
Kofie cheered in excitement as the grand piano was wheeled into his Colorado home for the first time in a video that was shared on CBS News show “Sunday Morning.”
CBS “Sunday Morning” later summed up Kofie’s story in a tweet that went viral with over 10,000 likes. “Eleven-year-old Jude Kofie, of Aurora, Colorado, demonstrated a remarkable talent no one anticipated when he discovered an old keyboard and, without any lessons, began playing.”
Twitter users reacted to the emotional story, with one reporter calling Jude Kofie and his family “amazing people.”
“I am not crying, you’re crying. What a great act of kindness!” Chicago Alderman Gilbert Villegas tweeted.
OutKick founder Clay Travis encouraged his over one million followers to watch the touching story of a young boy able to pursue his love of the piano. “This story on an 11-year-old Autistic piano prodigy is phenomenal.”
ABC affiliate Denver 7 News anchor Danny New shared a picture of him with Jude Kofie and his father, tweeting, “Proud to be the ‘local news story’ that brought these two together. Jude, Bill and Isaiah are all amazing people.”
Magnusson was moved to help Kofie after he saw the boy playing the piano in a local news story. However, Magnusson was concerned that Kofie — who did not receive formal training when he first started playing — was not able to afford the support that he needed to grow as a piano player.
“What resources are left over to help this special little soul?” Magnusson asked.
Magnusson also promised Kofie’s family that he would tune the piano once a month for the rest of his life.
“We’re family now,” he said.
Jude Kofie’s father, Isaiah, was shocked at Magnusson’s generosity.
“All for free,” he said. “Who does that?” Jude’s father asked, becoming visibly emotional.
Isaiah Kofie also said that he was extremely grateful for Magnusson’s kindness to his son.
“[For] somebody to just love your son like that by making sure that his future is secure, we are super thankful.”
When asked how to explain his once-in-a-generation talent on the piano, Jude Kofie said that it was “a miracle.”
“That’s what I prefer,” he added.