Canadian singer and songwriter Cree Shane Yellowbird died Monday in Calgary at the age of 42, his family has confirmed.
“It was a shock,” his sister Carmen Yellowbird said on Tuesday.
“We are just trying to support each other and be for each other. We have people from all over Canada contacting us in the United States.
“We’re just trying to work this out.”
The country music star was best known for his song “Pickup Truck”, one of the 10 most played songs for country music in 2007.
His second album It’s About Time was released in 2009, including the single “Bare Feet on the Blacktop”.
Shane grew up in Maskwacis, south of Edmonton, and went to Ponoka Composite High School.
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“He struggled with stuttering as a child,” Carmen recalls. “My mother had sent him to speech therapy, and from there he began to sing.
“He went to a speech therapist and they told him that when he couldn’t say the words he was trying to say, he could just sing them.
Carmen is convinced that this is where his love for music originated.
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He grew up to become an award-winning artist who served as an inspiration to indigenous youth.
“Shane was our golden boy. He made me, like my older sister, so proud, “Carmen said. “My father and mother were so proud of him. Our family, Maskwacis in general, was so proud of him. The community of the first nations in Canada was so proud of him.
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Shane received the Rising Star Award at the 2007 Canadian Country Music Awards and three Canadian Aboriginal Awards in the same year.
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“I remember the first time my mother and I heard it on the radio,” Carmen said. “We were driving and we both started crying. Now we are crying for another reason. ”
She thanked the radio stations for their support, adding that it was difficult but reassuring to hear Shane’s music. The family also wants solitude while they grieve.
“Thanks to the radio stations, the fans and everyone who loved him. We get a lot of messages and we feel love. “
Carmen described her brother as an avid hockey player and a talented visual artist.
She said Shane also suffered from epilepsy.
The cause of his death has not been announced.
He is left by his wife Sarah and four children.
The family is planning a traditional funeral ceremony on Friday morning. It will include local elders, songs about him, the community sharing stories and a gathering to “try to shed some light on his life,” Carmen said.
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“We carry our funny stories and treat ourselves with laughter,” she said. “We will celebrate his life.”
Shane Chelsea’s sister Yelobard issued the following statement:
“On behalf of the Yellowbird and Buffalo families, we are saddened to announce the sudden death of our beloved Shane Ryan Yellowbird. Shane was 42 years old and living in Calgary, Alta when he took his last breath.
“Our brother was a talented artist who loved his children, music and sports.
“We are all deeply moved by the tragedy and we pray for the respect and solitude of this time to mourn the loss of our loved one. Funeral services will be held in his hometown of Moskvacis on April 29 at 10 a.m..
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