Chris Martin’s ex-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, was linked to one of Coldplay’s greatest hits of all time, “Fix You.” According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, the song was meant, in a way, to comfort Paltrow after she lost her dad, television producer Bruce Paltrow. Later, the actress spoke about the song, stating, “‘Fix You’ was about him [Martin] trying to put me back together after my dad died. I think it’s pretty nice.” 

As per E! Online, Bruce Paltrow died in 2002 after coming down with pneumonia. He also had throat cancer. Gwyneth Paltrow has said that Coldplay’s music really helped her and her brother to cope with their loss.

“Fix You” caused difficulties for the Coldplay, as well, primarily because the team knew that it set very high standards for the rest of “X&Y.” Martin said that it took a long time to finish the album. He added, “I don’t know what it is — this pressure or something, because you can hear that it’s good.” The song was, of course, a massive hit that moved scores of listeners and fans around the globe.

Coldplay has been criticized as a band for teaming up with other musicians. An Esquire piece came down heavily on the band and stated that none of the band’s collaborations were good. The piece basically went on to highlight the idea that Coldplay had somehow become far too commercial after “X&Y” and that all of their collaborations only led to terrible music. In fact, the band’s work with hip-hop singers Jay-Z and Kanye West even caused an ugly fight between the two artists.

Also, not all singers have been enthusiastic about working with Coldplay, Take Beyoncé, for example. Even though she did perform with them at Super Bowl, when they approached her with a song idea, she refused to be a part of it (via The Independent). Talking about the incident, Martin said, ” [She said no] in the sweetest possible way: She told me, ‘I really like you — but this is awful.'”

For Coldplay’s ex-manager, Phil Harvey, taking care of the band’s needs proved to be far too stressful. According to the Irish Examiner, he was a friend of Chris Martin’s from school, and he decided to quit his education to work for Coldplay and help them out. Harvey was a part of the band from its early days and was instrumental in helping Martin and his bandmates achieve success. However, this proved to have a rather detrimental effect on his health. 

Eventually, the manager became very ill from the stress, and his doctor told him that his health was at risk. Harvey was forced to make the tough decision to step down as manager for his own well-being. He spoke about it later, saying, “I remember this all as being an isolating experience. I normally think of myself as, literally, an upbeat kind of person — it was all quite a shock. Regardless of how the world might perceive it [a mental health problem] can strike any person.” He later studied psychology and now helps others living with mental illnesses.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact theCrisis Text Lineby texting HOME to 741741, call theNational Alliance on Mental Illnesshelpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit theNational Institute of Mental Health website.

According to NME, Coldplay was enthusiastic about working alongside renowned musician David Bowie, but he wasn’t keen on taking them up on their offer. The song was “a multi-part harmony” (via Pitchfork), and Bowie was asked whether he’d like to be a part of it. His opinion was pretty obvious when he replied with, “It’s not a very good song, is it?”

Champion felt that Bowie was impressive and appreciated the fact that he was careful about the choices he made instead of rushing into anything. The drummer said, “He was very discerning — he wouldn’t just put his name to anything. I’ll give him credit for that!” As a band, Coldplay loved Bowie’s music. Johnny Buckland spoke about the singer after his death in 2016 and said that he was gutted when he heard the sad news. He added, “We’ve all loved his music for as long as we’ve known about music.”

Chris Martin isn’t the only Coldplay member who’s experienced heartbreak. Bassist Guy Berryman went through a turbulent time when his relationship broke down. He had been married to his longtime girlfriend, Joanna Berryman, until they split in 2007, six months after having a baby. A friend who was close to them said, “They are both absolutely devastated but the relationship has been on the rocks for a while” (via the Mirror). The couple had hoped that the baby might help them sort out their differences, but that wasn’t the case. Many friends believed that Guy’s work schedule made things very difficult for his relationship.

Joanna moved on and later married an entrepreneur named Philip Bergkvist (via Baby Magazine). She once said that she and Guy had a rough time during her pregnancy, spending a lot of time apart and somehow coping with their highs and lows. She also mentioned feeling insecure, recalling, “I had naively read horrible online forums where people would call me fat, unglamorous and question why Guy was with me. It was hard not to read them.”

For drummer Will Champion, the release of “Parachutes” was a bittersweet experience because he was coping with a personal tragedy. According to Cancer Active, his mother died of cancer right before the release of the album in 2000. The drummer shared a close bond with his mom and told Drum Magazine that she helped him embrace his love for music and inspired him in many ways. He said, “I think music first clicked as a creative pursuit when my mom taught me how to play three chords on guitar.”

As per Radio X, Champion’s mom, Sara, was a respected archaeologist who made several contributions to her field and supported women who chose to join the industry. She was 54 years old when she died, and her funeral was held on the day Chris Martin filmed the music video for the band’s hit song “Yellow.”