Sadly, beloved Canadian broadcaster and humourist Stuart McLean has passed away. The news came this afternoon (February 15) via a message on McLean's Facebook, informing fans that he died today at the age of 68.
McLean's death comes shortly after he was forced to step down from his long-running Vinyl Cafe program late last year to focus on his battle with cancer.
You can read the entire message regarding McLean's passing below.
McLean was diagnosed with melanoma in November 2015, and in December 2016, he left his CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe after revealing that his initial skin cancer treatment hadn't been as "swift" as he expected.
"What can I say…things don't always go exactly as planned," McLean said at the time.
The Vinyl Cafe first began airing in 1994 and featured stories, essays and music, primarily focused on McLean's tales of used record store owner Dave, his wife Morely, their two children Sam and Stephanie, and their home life. Over the years, it led to a series of related Vinyl Cafe books, as well as audio recordings and countless live theatre performances.
In McLean's December message, he wrote, "I don't want you to worry about me. A year ago I told you that I expected this to be just a bump in the road, not the end of the road. I still believe that to be true.
"I hope we will meet up again — on the radio or in theatres. We'll make sure to tell you before that happens... In the meantime, look after yourselves and each other. And know that this isn't goodbye. It's just … so long for now."
McLean's death comes shortly after he was forced to step down from his long-running Vinyl Cafe program late last year to focus on his battle with cancer.
You can read the entire message regarding McLean's passing below.
McLean was diagnosed with melanoma in November 2015, and in December 2016, he left his CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe after revealing that his initial skin cancer treatment hadn't been as "swift" as he expected.
"What can I say…things don't always go exactly as planned," McLean said at the time.
The Vinyl Cafe first began airing in 1994 and featured stories, essays and music, primarily focused on McLean's tales of used record store owner Dave, his wife Morely, their two children Sam and Stephanie, and their home life. Over the years, it led to a series of related Vinyl Cafe books, as well as audio recordings and countless live theatre performances.
In McLean's December message, he wrote, "I don't want you to worry about me. A year ago I told you that I expected this to be just a bump in the road, not the end of the road. I still believe that to be true.
"I hope we will meet up again — on the radio or in theatres. We'll make sure to tell you before that happens... In the meantime, look after yourselves and each other. And know that this isn't goodbye. It's just … so long for now."
