R.I.P. Jeff Healey

[OldManC]

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2008/03/03/159448.aspx

Blind guitar wizard Jeff Healey of Toronto died Sunday of cancer. He was 41.

Norman Jeffrey Healey was one of Canada's premier blues and jazz musicians who is perhaps best known for his 1988 album See The Light, which included the hit single Angel Eyes. He was also nominated for a Grammy for the song Hideaway and in 1990, was awarded a Juno in the Entertainer of the Year category.

Other Healey hits have included How Long Can a Man Be Strong and a cover of The Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Healey lost his vision as a baby to a rare form of retinal cancer and he battled the disease throughout this life. His website said Sunday that he died with his wife, Cristie, at his bedside in Toronto's St. Joseph's Hospital...

There's more at the link.

Wow, I only saw the Jeff Healey Band play once in the early 90's. They were GREAT, and blew the Allman Brothers (who they were opening for) off the stage. I didn't know he was so sick. Another great talent lost much too soon...

[Chris P.]

Gee, unbelievable! I talked about him last week. i never saw him live, but my brother did and still talks about that gig!

Roadhouse is legendary of course. I have a cd somewhere. I'll play it.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Another great musician dies waaaay too young---only 41.

[uwe]

41 years of battling cancer and then it gets you still? 

[Basvarken]

41. Man, that is scary.

Rest in Peace Jeff

[Barklessdog]

The first time I saw him was in some movie and I was blown away by his playing.

So young, so sad.

[PhilT]

Shit. I saw him here no more than 6 months ago. Third time I've seen him in recent years, he always put on a superb show and was brilliant at interacting with the audience. He had an wicked sense of humour that went down really well with a Brit crowd.

There aren't many guitarists I would drive a 150 mile round trip to see on a Tuesday night, but he was one.

[uwe]

A little musical eulogy, who could be a more fitting guitarist on that song ...

[gweimer]

I spent a number of years thinking I had opened for Jeff, in a band called Blind Man's Bluff.  When I moved to Cincinnati, one of the local blues guys who had done roadwork informed me that it was a guitarist named Glen Braxton that I had seen.  He could have been Jeff Healey's twin, except he spent most of his time playing while standing. Both had the exact same technique.

RIP Healey