# Background Bob > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Background_Bob > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Background_Bob.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_Bob > Source revision: 1355263993 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Noah Jones** (21 August 2008 – 20 November 2023), nicknamed **Background Bob**, was a British teenage artist from [Dedham](/source/Dedham,_Essex), Essex, whose art projects raised over £250,000 for the hospital trust that treated him for [hydrocephalus](/source/Hydrocephalus), [epilepsy](/source/Epilepsy), and [cerebral palsy](/source/Cerebral_palsy). Along with his father, some of his most notable collaborators included [Shepard Fairey](/source/Shepard_Fairey), [Grayson Perry](/source/Grayson_Perry), [Ben Eine](/source/Ben_Eine), [The London Police](/source/The_London_Police), [Wrdsmith](/source/Wrdsmith), [Ed Sheeran](/source/Ed_Sheeran), as well as numerous other street artists and celebrities. ## Biography Noah was born in 2008 with [hydrocephalus](/source/Hydrocephalus), [epilepsy](/source/Epilepsy), and [cerebral palsy](/source/Cerebral_palsy).[1] His father is Nathan Jones, a painter and decorator.[2] He lived with his family in [Dedham](/source/Dedham,_Essex), Essex.[3] At the age of 11 and unable to attend school in spring of 2020, during the first [COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom](/source/COVID-19_lockdown_in_the_United_Kingdom), he began to paint on cardboard.[1] Subsequently, artists from around the world responded to his father's [Instagram](/source/Instagram) request for collaborators.[1] Noah painted the background and noted artists painted images on them.[4] Over 250 international artists, including [My Dog Sighs](/source/My_Dog_Sighs), Anna Schellberg, Pez, Trust.iCON, Carne Griffiths and [Silent Bill](/source/Silent_Bill), sent their creations.[5] Others included [Ed Sheeran](/source/Ed_Sheeran), [Shepard Fairey](/source/Shepard_Fairey), [WRDSMTH](/source/WRDSMTH), [Grayson Perry](/source/Grayson_Perry), and [Phill Jupitus](/source/Phill_Jupitus).[6] The aim was to auction the completed paintings to raise money for the Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity.[5] The first exhibition was held at [Firstsite](/source/Firstsite), Colchester, in October 2020.[7] The artwork displayed "the thoughts, feelings and experiences of lockdown".[7] Many were exhibited and sold, with the proceeds going to charity.[1] A collection of the paintings was published in a book, *Background Bob and His Amazing Friends*.[5] Along with the [A5](/source/A5_paper_size) copies, there were 50 special edition books containing paintings by Noah himself.[5] By autumn of 2023, *Background Bob and His Amazing Friends* book number three was published, on a background of three exhibitions, and three auctions.[6] Noah died on 20 November 2023, at the age of 15.[8][1][9] ## References 1. Jones, Charlie (22 November 2023). ["Background Bob: Essex boy whose art raised £250k dies aged 15"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-67488126). *BBC News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231127083630/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-67488126) 27 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. 1. ["Teenage artist known as Background Bob who worked with Ed Sheeran dies"](https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-11-22/be-more-bob-familys-tribute-to-teen-artist-who-worked-with-ed-sheeran). *www.itv.com*. ITV. 22 November 2023. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231127084153/https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-11-22/be-more-bob-familys-tribute-to-teen-artist-who-worked-with-ed-sheeran) 27 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. 1. Jones, Charlie (8 June 2022). ["Ed Sheeran surprises Essex teen by joining Background Bob art project"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-61727230). *BBC News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231127083353/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-61727230) 27 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. 1. ["Background Bob Creates Amazing Art for Charity"](https://inspiringcity.com/2021/02/25/background-bob-creates-amazing-art-for-charity/). *Inspiring City*. 25 February 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231127083905/https://inspiringcity.com/2021/02/25/background-bob-creates-amazing-art-for-charity/) 27 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. 1. Papworth, Andrew (6 October 2020). ["Disabled boy, 11, starts 'global phenomenon' with Covid lockdown art"](https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21332511.disabled-boy-11-starts-global-phenomenon-covid-lockdown-art/). *East Anglian Daily Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231125180908/https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21332511.disabled-boy-11-starts-global-phenomenon-covid-lockdown-art/) 25 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. 1. ["Background Bob Book 3"](https://www.colchesteripswichcharity.org.uk/shop/background-bob). *www.colchesteripswichcharity.org.uk/*. Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231127093158/https://www.colchesteripswichcharity.org.uk/shop/background-bob) 27 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 November 2023. 1. ["@background_bob and his amazing friends | Exhibition | Colchester"](https://firstsite.uk/event/background_bob-and-his-amazing-friends/). *Firstsite*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231125180534/https://firstsite.uk/event/background_bob-and-his-amazing-friends/) 25 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. 1. ["Teenage artist known as Background Bob who worked with Ed Sheeran dies"](https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-11-22/be-more-bob-familys-tribute-to-teen-artist-who-worked-with-ed-sheeran). *ITV News*. 2023-11-22. 1. O'Hanlon, Séamus (22 November 2023). ["Dad pays heartbreaking tribute to 'beautiful and smiley' 15-year-old Dedham boy"](https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23940095.tributes-background-bob-dedham-death-aged-15/). *Gazette*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231125161920/https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23940095.tributes-background-bob-dedham-death-aged-15/) 25 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 November 2023. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Background Bob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_Bob) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_Bob?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.