Friends, family and fans of the late Haydain Neale, frontman of the band Jacksoul, packed the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Downtown Toronto on Monday night for a powerful tribute concert in his honour. Neale, one of Canada's most talented artists, succumbed to lung cancer on November 22 after a seven-month battle. He had been in recovery from an accident back in August of 2007 in which he was knocked off of his scooter while in the east end of the city. His death came as quite a shock to many as many were not aware that he had developed lung cancer.
Neale's widow, Micheala and daughter Yasmin, who is currently attending university, were in attendance. Michaela, visibly grieving over her loss, read a prepared statement about her husband saying, "The subject he wrote about most often was love...Love is the guiding force in his daily life...Haydain loved people, he thrived on positive relationships with his family, his friends, business associates and anyone he met along the way. Haydain believed that if we all took a little more time to love each other, that strong foundation would see us through the tough times that we all experience."
The event, titled "Can't Stop Loving You: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Haydain Neale," drew a sold-out crowd of adoring fans of the Juno Award winning artist. Canadian music stars who performed at the tribute included: Chantal Kreviazuk, Nelly Furtado, K-os, Ivana Santilli, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, Dan Hill, Keisha Chante, Luke McMaster, Divine Brown, Justin Nozuka, Tommy Swick and
Wade O. Brown.
The tribute will air on Canada Live on CBC Radio 2 on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. and again on Canada Live on CBC Radio One on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m.
All proceeds from the concert and sales of the album, SOULmate, which was released on December 1 and recorded before Neale's accident, will go to the Haydain Neale Family Trust.
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