Highway to Heaven: Jeff Healey - by Chris Brisbane - While his ongoing battle with cancer was well known, it was extremely shocking for many Canadian music fans when news hit of the untimely passing of Jeff Healey Sunday March 2, 2008 at Toronto St. Joseph's Hospital. He was 41. Despite repeated rounds of chemotherapy and other forms of cancer treatment, for years Healey refused to yield and continued to perform, tour and record the music he was so passionate about. Jeff Healey was born in Toronto on March 25, 1966, and raised in the west end of the city. Stricken with a rare form of cancer, retinoblastoma, Healey would lose his vision when he was just a year old. Despite his condition he started playing guitar at the age of three, patenting his unconventional style of playing the guitar across his lap. Healey formed his first band, Blues Direction, at the age of 17. But he would soon meet bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen, becoming the Jeff Healey Band. The trio first performed live at the Bird's Nest, on the second level of Queen Street West's Chicago Diner. A buzz began to grow and the band gained regular slots at other Toronto clubs, including Albert's Hall and Grossman's Tavern. Jeff Healey was an extremely rare, one in a million talent who left audiences astounded. The blues and rock scene, let alone any scene in the rock genre, had never seen such a mind blowing, blind virtuoso guitarist and strong vocalist who delivered such flawless and memorable performances night after night. However, Jeff Healey's true love was jazz. Not only was he a bona fide blues guitarist but Healey also played trumpet and clarinet. Among those blown away by Healey was fellow late, great blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughn. And for many blues aficionados, Healey evoked memories of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Willie McTell. The band caught a big break when they were featured in the 1989 film Road House starring Patrick Swayze. The band performed in several scenes, while Healey shared some screen time with Swayze. After filming the movie, the Jeff Healey Band signed to Arista Records, and in 1988 released their Grammy nominated debut album See The Light, which featured their major hit single, "Angel Eyes." Another song on the album, "Hide Away," received a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental. In 1990, the band won a Juno Award for Entertainer of the Year. The band would also record a memorable cover of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Healey would go on to become an internationally renowned star, who performed with B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and recorded with Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Rogers, and George Harrison. With a record collection spanning tens of thousands of obscure records, Healey's rarities were featured in his CBC Radio series, My Kinda Jazz, which recently played in a different form on Toronto's Jazz FM. Last year Healey had surgery to remove cancerous tissue from his lungs and legs. But he refused to rest and continued to tour across Canada with both his jazz and blues bands. Healey had also just completed the recording of his first blues/rock album in eight years. Mess of Blues is set to be released on April 22 in North America and March 20 in Europe. Healey's family is now left to cope with this tragic loss: his wife Christie, children Rachel and Derek, his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey and sisters Laura Linda.