Popular Ontario bluegrass artist Marc Roy has died. He passed quite suddenly on July 25 at 39 years of age. No cause of death has been shared by his family.
Marc’s participation in noted groups like Hard Ryde and Backcountry, plus his memorable “residency”at the Silver Dollar Room in Toronto with Crazy Strings, made his name familiar to bluegrass lovers throughout the province, and beyond.
His friend and long time Canadian bluegrass supporter, Melissa Sherman, shared this remembrance of Marc.
Ontario’s bluegrass, country, and roots music communities are mourning the sudden and accidental death of one of their most loved and respected members, multi-instrumentalist Marc Roy. While Marc’s outstanding talent with stringed instruments is widely known, it was his incredible and jaw-dropping bluegrass flatpicking that turned heads and left audiences feeling as if they had been transported through a portal into a magical world of acoustic bliss.
This held true whether performing solo or with any of the numerous bands and songwriters he has collaborated with on stages, music festivals, and independent recording projects spanning several decades. Marc also holds Hall of Fame status with the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards for his many guitar and mandolin accolades. He was a generous mentor and inspiration to so many others, from beginners just starting out, to seasoned and accomplished artists. It would be hard to find anyone who was left untouched or unchanged after being on the receiving end of his musical wizardry.
Marc will be remembered throughout the North American bluegrass world not only for his stellar musicianship on guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, but also for being a true and loyal friend to all who knew him. Humble and unassuming, kind and gentle, he embraced everyone he met with an open and loving heart.
Family and friends were everything to Marc and his untimely passing is a tragic loss to all and has left a void in Canadian bluegrass that will be hard to fill.
Melissa has launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist the Roy family with the costs of Marc’s funeral arrangements. No announcement about those details has been made as yet.
R.I.P., Marc Roy.
