August 06, 2013 - 11:11 PM
TORONTO - James Gray, a former keyboard player with Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo, has died at the age of 52.
The musician's family told the exclaim.ca website that Gray suffered a fatal heart attack while walking home after a performance in Toronto on Monday.
A statement on the Blue Rodeo website calls Gray a ‘‘brilliant musician.‘‘
It said he was a ‘‘kind-hearted soul who had his share of demons but left an indelible stamp on our music, our history and on us as people.‘‘
Gray joined Blue Rodeo in the early 1990s and his first album with the band was the multi-platinum ‘‘Five Days in July,‘‘ which included such hits as "Hasn’t Hit Me Yet" and "Bad Timing."
Gray left Blue Rodeo in 2005 after contributing to six studio albums.
‘‘We are greatly saddened by the loss of our brother,‘’ continued the statement on the band‘s website.
‘‘He was in Blue Rodeo for 12 years during which time we made some of our most important music.‘‘
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013