Greg Page officially leaving The Wiggles
It seems like just last week that I told you about Greg Page coming clean about his mystery illness that had him missing tour dates with the rest of The Wiggles. Now the group has finally made it official: Page is leaving the group:
SERIOUSLY ill Wiggles member Greg Page has officially departed the children’s supergroup, shattering their millions of young fans around the world.
As The Daily Telegraph revealed four weeks ago, Yellow Wiggle Page has been struck down for months with a mystery illness that doctors have been unable to diagnose.
The group - the country’s highest earning entertainers - are announcing his departure and discussing his illness at a press conference at Perth’s Burswood Dome.
They said they would make a “major announcement relating to members of the group” ahead of their Australian tour, starting at the venue.
The three other Wiggles members - Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Jeff Fatt - arrived in Perth yesterday without Page.
Sam Moran (Page’s longtime understudy) has been filling in as the Yellow Wiggle for most of 2006. Hopefully the poor guy will finally be getting some respect; because The Wiggles were so tight-lipped about Page’s condition for so long, Moran was regularly being “sprung” on unsuspecting audience members who had no idea that Page wouldn’t be appearing. Those are big yellow shoes to fill under any circumstances, but I’d imagine that facing a disgruntled and surprised crowd isn’t much fun.
As for Page’s condition, well, it remains a mystery:
Group manager Paul Field - brother of Blue Wiggle Anthony Field - said earlier this month that the condition was not cancer as had been speculated.
“Absolutely not the case,'’ he said.
Page at the time said doctors were yet to diagnose the health problem behind the fainting spells.
“I have had numerous bouts of this over the past eight months but they are getting more frequent, and more concerning,'’ he said.
“So I have decided that I must go home, rest and seek further medical advice to assure myself that I will be OK for future tours.'’
I wouldn’t presume to tell someone how to conduct their medical affairs, but I’m guessing one of two things is happening here.
The first possibility is that Page’s doctors really are befuddled, eight months into a condition that causes him to regularly lose consciousness. Think about that for a minute. If this is true, I think it might be time for Page to switch doctors. Just sayin’.
The second possibility is that Page is suffering from a diagnosed ailment and doesn’t wish to share the details with the world, which is certainly his right. But in that case… there’s certainly been a lot of talk that… ummm… is misleading.
So in the first scenario, someone isn’t very bright, and in the second, someone is lying. Neither situation speaks well of what is happening here, but neither does either one change the fundamental fact that a beloved entertainer is ill. Again, best wishes to Greg Page and his family as they navigate this difficult time.
[Edited to add: Page announces he has Orthostatic Intolerance. What isn’t discussed is the various underlying causes of that disorder and whether he knows what they are in his case.]
But is it wrong that I’m sort of feeling like maybe—instead of having Moran be the Yellow Wiggle stand-in—they should, I don’t know, retire the yellow shirt? Let Moran be his own Wiggle, I say. Sam the Green Wiggle, maybe. Sam the Orange Wiggle! Give the man his own shirt, people.
December 1st, 2006 at 1:37 am
I thought the very same thing about the shirt color. Retire the yellow.
December 1st, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Our best wishes to Greg! My twins are soon going to be five and love the Wiggles. We’ll sure miss Greg, the yellow wiggle. I do however agree with you, let Moran have his own color!
December 13th, 2006 at 11:58 am
What will they do who is gonna sing ? my daughter is devastated
January 2nd, 2007 at 10:18 am
Retire the yellow shirt! Make it green or orange..say it’s Greg’s brother or something. I have heard people say the kids won’t notice..trust me, they WILL notice. Kids are much more observant than we think.
January 20th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
retire the yellow shirt and let the new guy pick his own color…Greg has every right not to disclose his illness to the world…my children also love them and we all wish them well..
January 27th, 2007 at 6:58 am
I agree. Let the Moron have his own color. Then Greg can come back and release another video.
February 8th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
My 22 month old little grandaughter loves the Wiggles and she KNOWS the difference in each Wiggle. I hope the new Wiggle is allowed to pick his own color and the children will accept him easier. I wish all the best for Greg and his family and we will truly miss him. I hope he will be able to return ocassionally to the Wiggles. Thank you.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:14 am
My 4yr old son ADORES the Wiggles ! He has associated each of the wiggles by face & color & just recently on the wiggle’s site, there’s a desktop picture of Sam Moran in the “yellow” shirt posing with the other three wiggles & my son said, ” Mama that’s wrong , that’s not Greg !”
I , too agree that the new guy should have his own color shirt , it’s not easy for the kids to understand where Greg is ? I’ve told my son that Greg is not feeling well & may come back later. Wishing Greg a speedy recovery & continued good health !
March 3rd, 2007 at 12:27 am
Dear Greg:
I’m so sorry to hear you left The Wiggles because you’re sick. I have been thinking of you lately. I really miss you. I hope you feel better soon. I hope your family is taking good care of you.
Get Well Soon,Greg.
Love,
Alisha Doutt
March 11th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I really have never given it much thought of a different color for Sam, but after reading all the responses that is really the only way to go. This is the only concert that our family goes to every year. The Wiggles, being educated in children’s psychology and having educational degrees should obvioulsy know that children will know the distiction of a stranger in Greg’s yellow shirt. This is going to be just devastating to a majority of young children and a lot of questions and unsecurity. I ask the Wiggles to reconsider putting Sam in the yellow shirt, and be creative as you know how to bring Sam in a different color to the show.
Sincerely,
Dawn Hay
May 31st, 2007 at 7:02 am
dear greg im really sad you have left the wiggles,ill really miss you so will my mum.
from kenny chip
May 31st, 2007 at 7:10 am
Dear Greg
My grandaughter is so sad you are leaving you are her favourite wiggle. I hope you get well soon.
Best wishes
Delia Hibee
August 14th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
dear greg, my daughter alexis is a very big fan of the wiggles and she adores all of you, especially you greg. i and alexis wish you all the best and hope you get better and can return every now and then. all the luck to the remaining wiggles and to sam moran. i know you will do your best at filling greg’s shoes, but i do have to agree lets let you have your own color and i believe the children will take to you better. good luck with all that you do for the children, especially the ones like alexis who hurricane katrina victims. out of everything we lost and that was everything. the only thing alexis was worried about was her wiggles dvds, so for her 2rd birhtday we made sure we bought her your dvd ( the christmas one from sydney, in 2005) that is her favorite dvd and your show on disney.
best wishes to all,
stephenie and alexis warren
August 23rd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Dear Greg, Anthony, Murray, Jeff and Sam,
My son Raffe recognizes and loves all of you. He has seen you in concert twice (he is two) and will see you again this year. To Greg: As medical professionals, my husband and I wish you a safe and expedited recovery (perhaps a pacemaker might help? Just a thought) and we will truly miss you, as will our little guy. We also really love the idea of giving Sam his own color. He has earned it, he deserves it. Besides, the little ones (except the newest of little ones) can and do recognize the difference. We continue to send out lots of love to all of you and to the Wiggly dancers, as well! (We LOVE Ben!)
Keep wiggling!
Stephanie and Raffe
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:45 pm
it wont be the same without gregg the new wiggle just doesnt sing the songs like gregg did but we will miss the old wiggle good luck gregg my kids and i hate seeing you go
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:43 am
Alyssa has loved The Wiggles since she was 12 months old, she is now 5 and still loves them. I explained to her the last she saw them in concert that Greg was ill and Sam would be taking his place. She has always noticed every little change. Her first question was Will Greg be ok? her second question was What color will Sam choose? she thinks green would be good. We wish the all the Wiggles and their dancers (Ben and Marissa were her favorites) the best of luck! Thanks for the many, many, many hours of fun for her. (and I do mean many hours of each dvd and tape over and over and over again) You should put out an exercise tape for children to do with their moms/dads.
October 9th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Retire the yellow shirt!
My grandsons love the Wiggles!
I know all the songs!
Prayers go out to you, Greg, and your family.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Dear Greg,
I will miss you on the Wiggles Show. You were my favorite Wiggle. I hope you feel better.
Hugs from Alexander
September 24th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Dear Greg,
I miss you, and ask my mommy about you every day. My mommy just bought concert tickets to see Pop Goes The Wiggles in Cleveland in October and I am so excited (mom is having a hard time trying to explain that Greg won’t be there, and that Davey won’t be able to join The Wiggles on stage to sing and dance). When I grow up I want to be Greg Wiggle, I have his shirts, and I’m having my 4th birthday party this weekend with everything Wiggles. My bedroom is Wiggles, I have to sleep with my Greg pillow every night. All my friends at school dance with me because I bring your CD to school EVERY day.
Love,
Davey (Massillon, Ohio)