|
| |
Blind Guitarist Healey Dies of Cancer
3-Mar-2008
Written by: Sam Belkin
Jeff Healey succumbed to the cancer that once robbed him of his sight.
The legacy of blind genius in music is remarkable. Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jr., and the recently deceased Jeff Healey.
Healey was a blind guitarist who was known for playing with the instrument flat on his lap rather than hanging from his shoulders. He was 41 years old and succumbed to a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma, which was originally responsible for his blindness at one year of age. He died in his home town of Toronto.
One year ago, Healey underwent surgery to remove cancerous tissue from both of his lungs, and in the eighteen months preceding he had two sarcomas removed from his legs.
His death comes merely a month before his first rock album in eight years is to be released, Mess of Blues.
Healey earned stardom when he appeared with his band in the movie Road House, which was inspired by Healey’s own playing. He and his band signed with Arista Records and released See The Light in 1988, which included the hit single “Angel Eyes.” The song “Hideaway” was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Song,” and in 1990 the band won the Juno Award for “Entertainer of the Year.”
Healey was also known for a cover of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and for developing the careers of other artists such as Amanda Marshall.
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
|
|
|
|
