Chris Martin kisses tarmac before boarding aircraft as he fears dying in plane crash like Buddy Holly
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It’s no secret that Chris Martin has his quirks, but this one might just take the cake.
The Coldplay frontman's pre-flight ritual has left onlookers stunned, as he makes sure to kiss the tarmac before boarding any plane, a move which reportedly originates from his deep-seated fear of being a plane crash like the one that claimed rock and roll star Buddy Holly's life in 1959.
Chris Martin's homage to Buddy Holly and a brush with death
In 1959, rock and roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" JP Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Holly was just 22 years old.
It’s a haunting piece of music history that’s stuck with Martin throughout his career, leading him to develop this unusual superstition whenever he flies.
But there’s another layer to Martin’s fear — one that’s personal. Back in 2005, the Coldplay frontman had a terrifying close call that cemented his aversion to flying.
During a charity trip with Oxfam to Ghana, the plane he was on hit a severe dust storm while attempting to land at Tamale Airport. The flight turned into a nightmare as the plane was thrown around by turbulent winds, with visibility dropping to zero due to the dust blowing in from the Sahara Desert.
"It was so terrifying, the plane was all over the place," Martin later recalled. "Once a year, for a week, all this dust blows over from the Sahara Desert. You could not see a thing. I couldn't see the ground and as it turns out, nor could the pilot."
"I found out we were about 200 meters up. The plane dropped. I don't know how he landed it. I was convinced he wasn't going to. Did the pilot know Chris Martin was on board? I don't think he gave a flying f**k. It was lurching all over. But somehow the pilot pulled it off and landed," he added.
At the time, Martin was still married to Gwyneth Paltrow and the thought of his family flashed before his eyes. He remembered thinking about his daughter Apple, who was just one year old.
He shared, "I thought, 'My daughter will have to get a stepdad.' I also thought, 'I've written a will. The band have finished the album but they know how I want to finish certain songs.'"
Chris Martin's usual pre-flight ritual offers him a sense of comfort
Ever since that brush with death, Chris Martin has made it a point to kiss the tarmac before stepping onto a plane — a gesture that might seem odd to some but offers him a sense of comfort.
This week, the 47-year-old was spotted performing his unusual ritual yet again at Sydney Airport in Australia. Before boarding a private jet to Auckland, New Zealand, he got down on his hands and knees and pressed his lips to the ground — much to the shock of the airport staff who witnessed it.
Dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt and black cargo pants, the 'Fix You' hitmaker didn’t seem to care about getting a bit dirty. It’s a sight that fans and passersby have become privy to, as the star was also spotted kissing the ground in Malaysia last November before a concert, and again in Indonesia during a previous tour.
For him, it’s more than just a quirky superstition; it’s a way of grounding himself (quite literally) before taking to the skies, a nod to his gratitude for a safe journey and perhaps a tribute to the musicians who didn’t have the same luck.
Having said that, Martin’s fear of flying hasn’t stopped him from jetting around the globe for Coldplay’s massive stadium tours. However, the journey hasn’t always been smooth. The band’s recent tour through Australia had its own set of challenges.
During their first show in Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, Coldplay faced an unexpected and unprecedented setback: Their beloved bassist Guy Berryman had to bow out due to a sudden illness. It was a career first for the band, who were forced to play the show without Berryman, as per Radar Online.
