Jacksoul Singer Dies

11/24/09 11:40am

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Haydain Neale, the singer of Canadian R&B/soul group Jacksoul, died on Sunday after a seven-month fight with lung cancer.

Neale's wife, daughter, brother-in-law and two of his friends were with him when he passed away at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital.

This wasn't Neale's only health struggle over the last few years. In August 2007, he was knocked off his scooter and sustained serious head injuries after he was in a car accident.

"Through all these challenges, Haydain's sense of humour and love of music were ever-present," Michaela Neale, his wife, said in a statement. "He constantly brightened the room with his singing and his smile. His joyful presence and beautiful voice will be missed by all."

A private funeral will be held later this week. You can leave messages of condolence at jacksoul.com.

Neale made his first public appearance since the scooter accident when he was in the audience during Bravo's Motown At The Concert Hall, which was recorded Oct. 4 and broadcast Nov. 10.

Jacksoul released a new single, "Lonesome Highway," on Nov. 3. It will appear on SOULmate, the band's first album since 2006's mySoul, due out Dec. 1. All proceeds from the sale of the album will go to the Haydain Neale Family Trust, according to the Canadian Press.

Neale began recording with Jacksoul in 1996. Jacksoul won the R&B/soul recording of the year Juno in 2001 and 2007 and were nominated for other Juno Awards. They also won a Canadian Urban Music Award in 2004.