Carnie's Comments

 

I didn't know him well but I met him on a couple of occasions and watched him do what he did on stage as well. I felt the loss when I read the news yesterday.

Ronnie King, the bass player for The Stampeders, passed away this week in a Calgary hospital. The band shared the sad news on their social media feeds yesterday morning.

Ronnie and his bandmates had been preparing for an upcoming tour with 30 dates confirmed, all in Ontario, starting next month.

Ronnie had a larger-than-life personality. His smile could light up a room. He loved to tell stories about the shows, the tours and the world-famous bands and people he and his partners worked with over the years and, he shared some of those stories with the thousands who attended Stampeders concerts over the course of the past 20 years.

If you're a fan, you should read the heart-felt tribute from the band on Facebook.

What I found most remarkable was the final paragraph which tells us the upcoming tour "was intended to be his final bow" but "will now, instead, be our tribute to and celebration of our beautiful friend and partner. The show must go on...Ronnie wouldn't have it any other way."

The late Ronnie King of the Stampeders