EDMONTON — John Mann, lead singer and songwriter for Vancouver’s beloved Celtic-inflected rock band Spirit of the West, has died.
He was 57.
Eric Alper, the band’s publicist, says Mann died peacefully in Vancouver on Wednesday from early onset Alzheimer’s, the disease with which he was diagnosed several years ago.
A four-time Juno nominee for his work with Spirit of the West, Mann and his band became underground heroes for their politically savvy, musically diverse songwriting, which fused traditional strains of folk, Celtic and turn-of-the-’90s alt-rock.
In his later years, Mann survived cancer — and wrote about it — only to suffer from early onset Alzheimer’s, though he determinedly continued performing as he faced the condition.
Mann had two children, son Harlan and daughter Hattie, with his wife, the playwright Jill Daum.
The Canadian Press
