John Rankin, fiddler, 40

["Deathwatch Central" <cdw@slick.org>]

Tuesday January 18 2:08 AM ET 

Canada PM shocked by death of fiddler John Rankin

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien said Monday he
was shocked by the death of popular fiddler and folk musician John Rankin,
whose car plunged into the Atlantic Ocean Sunday.

Rankin, 40, died when his car slid off a narrow road and plunged into the
icy sea in his native Cape Breton, on the northern tip of Nova Scotia.
Three teenage boys in the car, including his 15-year-old son, escaped but
were treated in hospital for hypothermia before being released.

Rankin, together with his four siblings, formed a Celtic folk music group
which played together for 10 years. The Rankin Family, which changed its
name to the Rankins, sold two million copies of their albums.

``Like all Canadians I was simply stunned to learn of this terrible
accident. Cape Breton has lost one of her finest sons, and Canada has lost
one of her finest musicians,'' Chretien said in a statement.''

The Rankins split up last year, partly because John Rankin wanted to spend
more time with his family.

Reuters/Variety 




* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This mailing list is brought to you by Slick.ORG at http://www.slick.org
to remove yourself from the list, send e-mail to majordomo@slick.org
and include the words "unsubscribe deathwatch" in the message (not in the
subject).  For web-based help, go to:

http://www.slick.org/cgi-bin/majordomo

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *