The frontman of award winning Canadian R&B outfit Jacksoul, Haydain Neale, has died after losing a fight with cancer.
Jacksoul won much acclaim in their home country for their four albums, the first released back in 1996. All were nominated for Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the BRITSs, and in 2001 and 2007 they won the Juno for Best R&B/Soul Recording.
But recent years had been stressful for the band ever since Neale was involved in a serious motor accident when hit by a car while driving his Vespa motor scooter in Toronto on August 2007. The accident left him in a coma, and while he did recover from the ordeal, his recovery was slow going.
Nevertheless, it was announced earlier this year that a new Jacksoul album would be released, featuring songs written before the accident, but recorded this year. However, Neale was battling with lung cancer at the same time as recovering from his accident, and yesterday that was a battle lost.
Neale's death shocked many who knew him, who felt the singer was finally getting over his illness. Among those paying tribute was Greg Nori, formerly of Canadian rock group Treble Charger, who once worked with Neale at Sony. He told reporters: "This guy was an extremely, extremely generous person. was always 120% to me, as an individual, he really was. I always had a really great friendship with him and we had a great respect for each other. I never saw the guy get mad. He only had positive energy about him. That's my recollection of him. Never, ever did I see any kind of jealousy out of him, or negativity".
Confirming Neale's passing, his wife Michaela said in a statement: "Through all his challenges, Haydain's sense of humour and love of music were ever-present. He constantly brightened the room with his singing and his smile. His joyful presence and beautiful voice will be missed by us all".