Jeff Healey Dead of Cancer

Blind guitar wizard Jeff Healey of Toronto died Sunday of cancer. He was 41.

Norman Jeffrey Healey was one of Canada's premier blues and jazz musicians who is perhaps best known for his 1988 album See The Light, which included the hit single Angel Eyes. He was also nominated for a Grammy for the song Hideaway and in 1990, was awarded a Juno in the Entertainer of the Year category.

Healey lost his vision as a baby to a rare form of retinal cancer and he battled the disease throughout this life. His website said Sunday that he died with his wife, Cristie, at his bedside in Toronto's St. Joseph's Hospital.

As a toddler, Healey picked up a guitar and, setting it on his knees, developed a distinct sound and playing style.

At the time of his death, Healey was about to unveil his first blues-rock CD in eight years. Mess of Blues is scheduled to be released in Europe in March and in North America in April.

Healey had a long fight with cancer. In 2007, he underwent surgery to remove cancerous growths from his lungs. He had earlier had two sarcomas removed from his legs.

Healey is survived by his wife and two children, 13-year-old Rachel and three-year-old Derek. Other survivors include his father Bud and stepmother Rose, and two sisters, Laura and Linda.