Donald Gould is a homeless US veteran that suddenly attracted a lot of attention online when a video of him playing a piano on the street in Sarasota, Florida went viral, being seen by millions of people from around the world. The video eventually caught the attention of several local and national media outlets, causing the former US Marine to receive donations and make appearances on several TV shows.
He was taken by Inside Edition for a complete makeover, including a shave and haircut, plus an entirely new wardrobe. A local eating establishment has also invited him to play the piano in front of a paying crowd for the first time. His new look has caused him a huge boost in self confidence. He says that it made him go from looking like just a scraggly homeless man to a respectable musician. Gould hasn’t seen his son for over 15 years now and said in an interview that he was too embarrassed to go see him before. The makeover has eventually helped the two reunite.
Gould was formerly enrolled in Spring Arbor University in Michigan hoping to become a music teacher, but his life took a turn for the worse when his wife died of a drug overdose in 1998 and he lost custody of his son, who was three at the time. Thanks to people sharing the original video of him playing a public piano, his life has significantly changed for the better. He has received over $40,000 in donations and a full scholarship from his previous university.