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That sucks. He kicked ass in Road House!
'Angel Eyes' singer Healey dead at 41
TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- Blind rock and jazz musician Jeff Healey has died after a lifelong battle against cancer. He was 41.
- Story Highlights
- Jeff Healey, blind rock and jazz guitarist, dead of cancer
- Healey best known for 1988 hit "Angel Eyes"
- Talented guitarist shared stages with George Harrison, B.B. King
Healey died Sunday evening in a Toronto hospital, said bandmate Colin Bray, who was in the room with Healey's family when the guitarist died.
The Grammy-nominated Healey rose to s om as the leader of the Jeff Healey Band, a rock-oriented trio that gained international acclaim and platinum record sales with the 1988 album "See the Light." The album included the hit single "Angel Eyes."
Healey had battled cancer since age 1, when a rare form of retinal cancer known as Retinoblastoma claimed his eyesight.
Due to his blindness, Healey taught himself to play guitar by laying the instrument across his lap.
His unique playing style, combined with his blues-oriented vocals, earned him a reputation as a teenage musical prodigy. He shared stages with George Harrison, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Bray said he and many others expected the guitarist to rally from this latest illness.
"I don't think any of us thought this was going to happen," Bray said. "We just thought he was going to bounce back as he always does."
Healey had undergone numerous operations in recent years to remove tumors from his lungs and leg.
Bray and fellow bandmate Gary Scriven remembered their frontman as a musician of rare abilities with a generous nature and wicked sense of humor.
Healey's true love was jazz, the genre that dominated his three most recent albums.
His love of jazz led him to host radio shows in Canada where he spun long-forgotten numbers from his personal collection of over 30,000 vinyl records.
His death came weeks before the release of his first rock album in eight years.
"Mess of Blues" is slated for a North American release on April 22.
He is survived by his wife, Christie, and two children.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
That sucks. He kicked ass in Road House!
RIP. A great musician.
Great guitarist.
Great singer.
He deserved more recognition than he got.
That's too bad...he was an amazing person and battled a lot of adversity throughout his life.
RIP, Jeff Healey. I can still hear that song in my head; part of the soundtrack of my latter high school years.
For what it's worth, that's the same problem that Derek Fisher's daughter is facing. Goes to show just how serious the issue really is.
Damn, that sucks. I loved his music. At least he's not suffering anymore.
R.I.P. Jeff.
Buy or download his To Pay CD. Not a bad song in the bunch, and his cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is awesome.
Last edited by AlamoSpursFan; 03-03-2008 at 01:16 PM.
Damn. One of my personal favs, his cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is my favorite version of the song. I was looking forward to another live show when he came through here again, but it's not meant to be. God speed and perfect vision to you in the afterlife.
So sad. I knew absolutely nothing about him; thanks for the info.
You got that right....his rendition was fantastic.
Ironic that George and he both died too early from that dreadful disease....both of their guitars are weeping for the loss of their masters.
RIP
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