UK Alum to Honor Cousin, Fallen Officer Ellis, With 'Immortalizing' Song
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 13, 2016) — This Sunday, May 15, flags will be flown at half-staff and the country will honor thousands of fallen police officers on Peace Officers Memorial Day — including fallen Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis. Following the ceremony in Washington, D.C., a special performance on the West Lawn will pay tribute to him.
"A song can never be unwritten — it's sort of an immortalizing thing," said Hannah Ellis, a 2012 integrated strategic communication (College of Communication and Information) graduate from UK and cousin to Officer Ellis. "Every time I sing this song I see my family and what we went through together."
Hannah, a musician living in Nashville, knew she wanted to honor her cousin — who was killed in the line of duty and while pursuing his passion - with her own passion, singing.
"It was the day after Daniel's funeral and I was watching what Katie (Daniel's wife) was going through," she said. "I thought, 'what is the truest way to write this song?'"
And so with co-writers Steven Dale Jones and Justin Ebach, they wrote the song, "Officer Down," from the perspective of Katie Ellis.
"I never wanted to overstep; I wanted it to be true," Hannah said. "And I think it's true to me and a lot of people who have experienced something similar."
Later, the Fraternal Order of Police asked Hannah to come sing her song at the Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony, where Daniel's name will be etched in marble on the 304-foot-long memorial. She will sing the song in front of a national audience as well as both her immediate family and Daniel's. And while she sings, she'll remember how supportive Daniel was of her music.
"He always encouraged me to go after my passion, and that's what he did," she said. "He was so passionate about being a police officer, and he was a great one."
Since his death, Hannah said the community support surrounding the Ellis family has been a blessing and they have felt very loved.
"I hope everyone in the crowd on Sunday who has lost their own hero feels that same love and support," she said.
Hannah will sing her song "Officer Down" around 11 a.m. on Sunday and the song is available on iTunes at https://itun.es/us/8hwpcb.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu