Jeff Healey Has Died

Jeff Healey, a Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter whose band sold millions of blues-rock records and who also pursued a passion for old-time jazz, playing the trumpet and clarinet, died on Sunday in Toronto. He was 41.

He died of lung cancer, his publicists said.

Mr. Healey, who was blind, played his guitar with the instrument flat on his lap, resulting in what Guitar Player magazine called “astoundingly fluid bends and vibrato.” He blended jazz, rock and the blues.

Mr. Healey’s greatest success came in the late 1980s, when his band recorded the album “See the Light.” It reached platinum status in the United States by selling more than one million copies and eventually two million worldwide. A single from that album, “Angel Eyes,” was the Jeff Healey Band’s only Top 40 hit, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1989.

The same year the band performed the soundtrack for “Road House,” a movie starring actor Patrick Swayze. The band also had speaking parts. Soon the group was big enough to be booked in stadiums.

Mr. Healey also played the trumpet and clarinet in his own traditional jazz band, the Jazz Wizards. He collected as many as 30,000 old-time jazz records, mainly those on 78 r.p.m., which he played as the host of an hour-long radio show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Read more at Nytimes.com.

Comments

[roarinflames]

the news preview said "kanada" lol
rip
i thought last year was bad enough
lets hope this year doesnt get worse

[flambe chicken]

R.I.P.; mind blowing guitarist - he will be missed.

[recliner33]

I can't say I was ever a fan of Jeff Healey but you can't deny that this guy had a lot of talent. The world lost another great guitarist. I should go and check out some of his stuff even though I should have years ago. But it's better late then never

[Menza_]

This should be on the headline.

[Discouraged]

Not sure this was checked before it was accepted. The grammar's hilarious. Plus it doesn't give any sources.

For more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/arts/music/04healey .html?ref=music

[Indie23]

yea the freakin grammar is pretty crap
R.I.P - he surely will be missed

[Punkismygod]

I'm behind this new -^ sorry guys about the grammar. I really REALLY do suck on writing reports and that stuff. but i got my sources from a finnish news paper called iltalehti and i thought that you wouldn't care so much of that

[lead131619]

he was a unique and amazing guitarist who will be missed a lot i'm kicking myself that i didn't go see him when he was here
RIP

[IlikeMetal]

Anyone else notice the genius that posted this misspelled Canadian as Kanadian in the description?

[ValoRhoads]

Healey was a great player. If you didn't know he was blind, you never would have guessed!
RIP
Miss you man!

THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED. sorry for the typos, it wasn't checked properly back then

[Sylvanus]

lead131619 wrote:

he was a unique and amazing guitarist who will be missed a lot i'm kicking myself that i didn't go see him when he was here
RIP

Same here, I was thinking about going to see him but decided not, thinking he might come back some time...

R.I.P.

[TSCREAM420]

RIP Brother! I started buying his albums since Road House!!!

[tands]

RIP, he played with such a passion, a real inspiration to all players of any genre

[HeartRaz0r]

RIP... i wish i could see him live...

[visionen]

it looks a little weird with a smiling Lars as the fronte page picture. Perhaps time to address that bug now?

[rhcp_freak]

Damn, RIP.

[phillyguitar]

41? isnt anyone questioning the kind of death that occurs at 41 years old? this guy was young

[DeadDerykk88]

Patrick Swayze ripped out Healeys throat...true story.

[Scitzo Frenic]

Damn. He was such an inspiring guitarist. He lost his eyes at 1 and yet started playing a 3 years old. RIP Jeff, you'll be missed.

[j-e-f-f-e-r-s]

Did anyone hear his version of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'? In my humble opinion, it blows the Beatles original out of the water.

RIP

[Aziraphale]

DeadDerykk88 wrote:

Patrick Swayze ripped out Healeys throat...true story.

Show some respect man. RIP Jeff.

[Aziraphale]

phillyguitar wrote:

41? isnt anyone questioning the kind of death that occurs at 41 years old? this guy was young

It says lung cancer, what's there to question?

[Powerpro]

Awwww, he was awesome in road house,when I was watching road house I thought he was doing a really good impression of a blind guitar player, now I know he was really jammin.

[MFZBen]

I thought it said Jeff Hardy for a moment

RIP

[duncang]

RIP

[*powerslave*]

RIP, He was amazing.

[fredzeskater]

lol

[Travis^Co]

Cancer is what also made him lose his eye sight at the age of 1. R.I.P Jeff, Canada loves ya brother.

[RocksAwakening5]

R.I.P.

[shwilly]

Jeff Healey died...

Like two days ago, so you guys are kinda late with this. By the way, his next album (his first in years) was due to be released in like 3 months or so. Hope it's as amazing as Hell To Pay, his best album in my opinion (hell, he even softened hatred towards mullets)

[Jackolas]

RIP

[dgme92]

Oh no... Ugh, it's so depressing, another good guitar player and songwriter dying young. The world just doesn't show any mercy, does it?

[JuanchoKD]

R.I.P.
+

[BlackMist]

R.I.P. Bro, we won't forget you!

Rock on!

[batt66red]

I got the oportunity to see him last summer and was truly blown away by his talent and style. It makes me sad to see he passed away. He will trulybe missed and i intend ti buy his new cd. Rest in peace brother!

[ItWillDo]

Is it me, or did anyone else see the ironic signs? Him being blind, his best album being "SEE the light" and his best song "Angel EYES".

[Junesongtrigger]

This is awful, he was so fluid. I've rarely witnessed such skill and passion.

RIP my friend.

[-blaze-]

ItWillDo wrote:

Is it me, or did anyone else see the ironic signs? Him being blind, his best album being "SEE the light" and his best song "Angel EYES".

I'm pretty sure its just you.
Hmmm. I never heard about Jeff but I'll definitely give his music a listen. May he find the peace men seeks.

[diablo_man]

well, crap. it seems every other time i check the news on here another talented guitarist/musician has died.
in interest of finding more of his stuff, the first youtube that came up was him playing with stevie ray vaughan, who is also deceased. amazing stuff. RIP

[Icarus Lives]

Shit, I loved him. My week is ruined. I am so sad right now.

[Habit Zero]

I'd only really ever heard his name before this, but I just YouTubed him and it's great stuff, not necessarily my kind of stuff, but great nonetheless.

[giginthesky]

Another amazing talent gone RIP Jeff Healey, may the angels open your eyes to the beauty above.

[rebeltildeth87]

i heard this yesterday. sad news indeed. Seriously his solo in Hoochie Coochie Man almost makes me cry everytime I hear it. Hes always been 1 of my favorite guitarists.

[rush4life]

ItWillDo wrote:

Is it me, or did anyone else see the ironic signs? Him being blind, his best album being "SEE the light" and his best song "Angel EYES".

I did always think it was weird how he always had songs with eyes and seeing in the titles..

Anyways, RIP Jeff, he's an awesome guitarist, and a great Canadian.

[LegsOnEarth]

amazing musician. RIP.

[Fugmo]

Man, how much does this suck first buddy miles than jeff healey RIP dudes

[AerialOverdrive]

roarinflames wrote:

the news preview said "kanada" lol
rip
i thought last year was bad enough
lets hope this year doesnt get worse

Amen

RIP

[DeadIdentity81]

RIP JEFF WE ALL LOVE AND MISS YOU. BLESSINGS GO OUT TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS>>>

[AC/DCROCK93]

RIP healy

[False_God]

never even heard of him, but RIP

[schofinater]

wow today really sucks man
first i read that zeppelin isnt getting back to gether and now jeff healy died
and to day get any more worse i hope tomarrows new is better hahahhaa


R.I.P. jeff healy
you will be missed

[i_am_metalhead]

Whats up with all the famous musicians dying as of late!?

RIP

[E-dogg66]

I seen him last summer for the 5th time He is beyond amazing when your up close watching him play. But he looked in bad health then, and has been for years, He is an inspiration to so many and Proof that if you keep going hard at learning something (Like Guitar)You can Achieve your goals, If he could than you can!!!

R.I.P Jeff may you gently sleep as your guitar quietly Weeps

[homair]

I really don't mean to be disrespectful but why's he wearing a watch in that picture? It's a shame he's died and so young, too. I ain't heard a lot of his stuff but I always thought the way he played guitar was amazing.

[FenderMaster]

The guy suffered from retinoblastoma (eye cancer) since the age of 1 when he had to have his eyes removed, since then hes battled cancer all his life, its amazing hes achieved so much and become such a great musician and inspiration

[GuitarHero1081]

So young.....Jeff, you will be missed

[Daemon666]

FenderMaster wrote:

The guy suffered from retinoblastoma (eye cancer) since the age of 1 when he had to have his eyes removed, since then hes battled cancer all his life, its amazing hes achieved so much and become such a great musician and inspiration

His eyes weren't removed you moron

[Cobalt Blue]

It's really say, I heard like 2 hours after it happened.. (never thought to submit the news story)

what really sucks is his newest album is coming out next month and he wont get to see it's release (...no terrible pun intended)

if you ever got to see him perform feel lucky I only saw him twice and it was amazing. must be sad time down at Healey's Road House this week.

[FlamingYouth]

best damn blind guitarist i ever heard. the way he danced while he played is inspirational. you could see he really felt the music.

RIP

[Detonation]

Ill probably get raped for saying this but I dont recall even knowing about this guy but apperently he was great.

RIP I hope is stuff lives on

[Serjem]

rip.. i didnt really know him..

[idontloveyou]

God damn it.
I used to go to his club all the time when I was little with my mom to watch him play...

Saw him play last year quite a few times, too
This is a tragedy =[

[Cloned Insanity]

Daemon666 wrote:

FenderMaster wrote:

The guy suffered from retinoblastoma (eye cancer) since the age of 1 when he had to have his eyes removed, since then hes battled cancer all his life, its amazing hes achieved so much and become such a great musician and inspiration

His eyes weren't removed you moron

Actually they were and replaced with artificial ones

Sad sad news indeed. To one of the greatest. RIP Jeff

[TheDewManchu]

this guy was really good. hope no one else starts dying on us.

did anyone else notice the first paragraph is all one big sentence? haha

[sinterpol]

R.I.P.

[Dead_End]

RIP

[jpgr1987]

Extremely sad news, he was my guitar hero above all others, a truly remarkable musician.

May he rest in peace

[Daemon666]

Cloned Insanity wrote:

Daemon666 wrote:

FenderMaster wrote:

The guy suffered from retinoblastoma (eye cancer) since the age of 1 when he had to have his eyes removed, since then hes battled cancer all his life, its amazing hes achieved so much and become such a great musician and inspiration

His eyes weren't removed you moron


Actually they were and replaced with artificial ones

Sad sad news indeed. To one of the greatest. RIP Jeff

And where did you get this info,wikipedia?well no other biograhy that i've seen even on his site says that

[PLOP]

R.I.P.

[darianivan]

an amazing guitarist. apparently god wants god damn blues going on up there.

[Cloned Insanity]

Daemon666 wrote:

Cloned Insanity wrote:

Daemon666 wrote:

FenderMaster wrote:

The guy suffered from retinoblastoma (eye cancer) since the age of 1 when he had to have his eyes removed, since then hes battled cancer all his life, its amazing hes achieved so much and become such a great musician and inspiration

His eyes weren't removed you moron


Actually they were and replaced with artificial ones

Sad sad news indeed. To one of the greatest. RIP Jeff

And where did you get this info,wikipedia?well no other biograhy that i've seen even on his site says that

Got this from a respectable source : "I used to believe that once they had removed my eyes, that was the end of the story," Healey said. "I understand now that having this (mutation) in my blood, this won't be my last encounter with cancer." (canada.com)
:P

Checked.

[Jastul]

damn it! not another one!!!

crap, this guy had talent, never was a big fan of him, but I sure respected his skill... CRAP!!!!

RIP Mr. Healey

[forwhomthebells]

False_God wrote:

never even heard of him, but RIP

rip.

[hitl]

cancer is a bitch....


r.i.p.

[NightEmbers]

awww that sucks. he was awesome =(

Rest in Peace Jeff, I'll be praying for you

[actualMusicFTW]

yeah, I read this in the paper this morning. He was, and still is, a truly inspiring guitarist

RIP

[humpacow6]

all the great musicians are beginning to fade away...

RIP

[morrison27]

R.I.P
large influence on me stylistically.

[DimebagRob]

humpacow6 wrote:

all the great musicians are beginning to fade away...

RIP

I know what you mean mate, the singer of quiet riot died not so long ago. They all seem to be goin...

[insaneBeing0]

i saw this on the news.. i was supposed to go see him play in a bar near my house..

† R.I.P †

[musiccrave1028]

Jastul wrote:

damn it! not another one!!!

crap, this guy had talent, never was a big fan of him, but I sure respected his skill... CRAP!!!!

RIP Mr. Healey

Same with me man, R.I. ****in P

[PUNKfromNORWAY]

R.I.P, he is so awsome saw him first time in the movie Road House

[medium mike]

Rest in peace man...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJh3KaIKDAw

[chefguy1968]

it amazes me that so many of you who call yourselves guitarists(at least you should be to enjoy what this site has to offer) have never heard of jeff healey. he was an amazing guitarist, musician, man..PERIOD. it is not about his blindness, who cares....he didn't...he did what he loved, make music..it is his inspiration to learn his craft in the face of his personal tradgedy that should motivate us to learn more about him..God bless you jeff...show em how its done up in heaven!!
G

[-heartbreaker-]

I was surprised that this wasn't top news yesterday, tragic.

[Godbe]

I've only heard a bit of Jeff Healey. I think it was him doing a version of 'WHile My Guitar Gently Weeps' on youtube. I was ammazed quite simply...

[benenov]

this really brought me down... rip

[jetfuel495]

aw damn that really sucks.

[hmtsme]

r.i.p.

[DannnUK]

RIP Jeff. Shame this took awhile to reach the front of UG though, instead of other crap.

[SoftParade1967]

This sucks... May he Rest In Peace...

[BlisteringDDj]

Rest In Peace Jeff Healey. We will miss you.

[grungeisdead312]

fredzeskater wrote:

lol

what??

[SephiSpawn]

RIP, he was an inspiration.

[Dimebag22]

Yeah, I heard about this. It's so sad =( Too young to go, and too much talent. He will always be an inspiration to me.

RIP Bro

[Dreaming-V]

RIP

[guitarplayer-k6]

RIP Jeff Healey you wont be forgotten... so many guitarists and musicians die at a young age... he wasnt as young as like Randy Rhoads or Kurt or anyone but he was still too young to go

[FiveStarMotel]

Never once heard of him but of course Rest in peace

[LeperMessiah_]

this is too sad.
took too late to report this, imo. I'm Canadian and a huge fan of Jeff Healey, and this is a huge loss to music.

[n_tracyKC]

this sucks.. i saw him play with srv and he was amazing.

[HELLSHREDD]

I seen JH live in winnipeg & he was outstanding, RIP

[Crashman77]

R.I.P. Legendary Guitarist. Truly will be missed.

[Uber-rocker]

Never heard of him, but R.I.P. nonetheless.

[khalilizad]

homair wrote:

I really don't mean to be disrespectful but why's he wearing a watch in that picture? It's a shame he's died and so young, too. I ain't heard a lot of his stuff but I always thought the way he played guitar was amazing.

that really cracked me up. a local radio show had jeff on a couple of years ago and he was cracking blind jokes left and right. he really came across as a funny, genuine kind of guy. sad he died so young.

[silvershredder]

RIP Jeff, you put on an awesome show when I saw you live and your sense of humour and playing skill was enough to blow me away in awe.
Your musical catalogue is sublime, and your death came too soon.
Enjoy playing with SRV and Hendrix in the great gig in the sky.

[bowen]

Goddamnit, that's sad that a guitarist like that had to go, and a fellow Canadian. RIP, your songs and talent will never be forgotten.

[scawti]

An amazing guitarist and person. I remember him pretending to read at an award ceremony. He should be remembered up there as one of best blue rock guitarists.

[.6.bullets.]

Shiitt, yeah I heard about this on the radio in the car yesterday.
R.I.P
and a helluva lot of respect for the guy.
Great guitarist and a fellow Canadian.
FUCK CANER. It's sad that its taken so many lives.

[0h The Horror]

R.I.P.
I miss Dimebag more and more everytime a young guitarist dies.
This guy was pretty damn good too.

[emr_steelmech]

The same year the band performed the soundtrack for “Road House,” a movie starring actor Patrick Swayze.

Ah, so thats where I knew the name...how gay am I...anyway RIP, im gonna have to find some tracks now.

[Ir8sob]

homair wrote:

I really don't mean to be disrespectful but why's he wearing a watch in that picture? It's a shame he's died and so young, too. I ain't heard a lot of his stuff but I always thought the way he played guitar was amazing.

There are companies out there that make talking watches for the blind. Just because your blind doesn't mean you shouldn't know what time it is without asking someone.
This is really depressing news. I've enjoyed Jeff's music for years, and look forward to his new album coming out. My condolences to his family, and thanks because he was a great inspiration, not only for his musicianship but his attitude toward life.R.I.P.

[NosferatuZodd09]

RIP, shame a life was lost

[aerosmith_007]

wow i never heard of him and i live in Toronto. R.I.P

[The_lizard_king]

RIP man, I hate to say the only song I heard from him was the only cover of "While My guitar gently weeps" but he did seem pretty awesome though. The first time I heard about him was last summer. I hope he plays some good blues music up with the best.

[GodbowstoMath]

phillyguitar wrote:

41? isnt anyone questioning the kind of death that occurs at 41 years old? this guy was young

I was thinking that myself actually. I'm not familiar with his personal life really, did he get diagnosed with lung cancer awhile ago??

Amazing player and overall musician.

RIP to Jeff Healy and best wishes and thoughts to his family and friends.

[FRDesign]

RIP.

[chefguy1968]

EVERYBODY!!!! DO YOURSELVES A FAVOUR...GET A COPY OF THE JEFF HEALEY BAND LIVE AT MONTREAUX 1999 released in 2005 on DVD, never before available on any other format(contraband not included)....released by montreaux sounds and eagle-eye media. MR. HEALEY and Co. ON FIRE BABY!!!!

[dann_blood]

RIP

[Metalology]

RIP

[highway1]

OH MY GOD

[TSF_Dalton]

Damn it...another one Down...will music ever make it back to its former glory?
R.I.P. Jeff, its all uphill from here!

[the boogieman]

ive never listened to him, but so many people giving props...not to mention playing while blind. that deserves mad props in itself

rip jeff healy

[Mik3_182]

i remember seeing him when i was a kid, at Canada's Wonderland...by accident, i had no clue he was there. his performance blew me away. since then, i've been a huge fan of his. R.I.P. Jeff

[6sic6_blank]

I really liked this guys music, and an amazing performer. When I heard this on the news, I was so sad. It's just like when Stevie Ray Vaughn died.

[Zeppelin Addict]

fellow countryman down.... amazing musician great emotion and talent resulting in even greater songs... r.i.p jeff, gone to the great gig in the sky

[xx619xx]

wow being blind and playing guitar.
something i couldnt live with.
R.I.P mate

[arsonite]

Awww RIP =(

[Wilkesy1000]

poor guy
good to see he made some good music, touched millions
and made a contribution.
ive never heard of him, but to hear hes blind. i might check it out
R.I.P

[tb_1337]

R.I.P Jeff Healey

[Janneee]

rest in peace

[tmoody.com]

Man, what a shame. Why was this not in the headlines... CNN...FOX NEWS...???!!! Thanks Ultimate-Guitar.com for being there!

[rx_eb]

Although i don't know who the guy was.

Anyways, sounds like a nice guy.

RIP

[Guitar Sushi]

Man, this guy was my hero... it was so sudden....

[spyguy34]

what the f*** thats messed up i asked my friend if she knew who he was and she was like never heard of him if you havent heard of him screw off but he was great and talented

[CanCan]

Rest in peace, mr. Healy.

[Neer]

rip

[devilex121]

this guy definitely had talent!

[mantyce]

homair wrote:
I really don't mean to be disrespectful but why's he wearing a watch in that picture?

Ignorance be gone. Just because someone is blind doesnt mean they can't wear a watch. I have a blind friend that has a special watch which has an audible voice tell her the time in 15 minute increments. This is probably the same.

[.executable]

That sucks so much. I already had a ticket for a gig in Germany. :/

[Frusciante30]

Holy shit.
Thats terrible.
This is a great loss for the world.

[Zakk-H]

R.I.P Brother, You Will Be Missed!

[shdwfx]

I absolutely can't believe how many posts there are here from people who 'never heard of' Jeff Healey. B.B.King himself said he was one of the top 15 guitar players ever.

Yes, his eyes were removed when he was a baby. He had plastic eyes or so Joe Rockman (his bassist from The Jeff Healey Band) said so in an interview just after Jeffs passing.

He didn't battle cancer "all his life". The cancer that took his sight was one kind of cancer but as someone posted earlier, the genetic mutation meant he was predisposed to other cancers. Different cancers are what showed up around 2005.

Oh and they make a number of watches for the blind or sight impared including braille watches.

Some of the greatest talents in music considered him a genius so he is worthy of studying. He also played cornet, piano and who knows how many other instruments. It's a major loss for music.