Dave Bookman, 58, on May 21, in hospital following a brain aneurysm in early April.
Bookman, who spent his early years in Ottawa listening to rock radio and dreaming of being on the airwaves, joined 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) Toronto in 1991, which kicked off a 21-year stint with the station as host of The Indie Hour and in later years afternoon drive. In 2013, he joined new station Indie88 (CIND-FM). A fixture on the local music scene and champion of independent music, he was also the host of long-running, weekly live music showcase Nu Music Night at the Horseshoe Tavern. Bookman was presented with the Unsung Hero Award from the Canadian Independent Music Association in 2018.
Christine Crosbie, 52, on May 19, following a short battle with cancer.
Crosbie spent over a decade with Global News Toronto from 1997 to 2007, holding roles including morning show co-host, reporter, weather anchor and producer. Prior to Global, she worked with CTV Toronto. She left journalism behind in 2007 and began a career in communications that included time with the Ontario Science Centre and for the last five years at Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University. Crosbie also sat on the board of directors of Epilepsy Toronto from 2007-11. Crosbie died almost a year to the day she lost her husband in a bike accident in Leslieville on May 16, 2018.
Mark Campbell, 59, on May 18 of cancer.
Campbell was a donor, board member and volunteer announcer at community station County FM (CJPE-FM) Prince Edward County, ON. The Bloomfield resident, who had worked in the family business at Canadian Tire before embarking on a second career as a registered optician, had been the host of the station’s Friday afternoon show for the last five years. He also served as honorary chair of County FM’s recent radiothon in late April. Following his diagnosis with stage 4 lung cancer in January, a crowdfunding campaign resulted in sizeable donations to Hospice Prince Edward and the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation, in his name.
Deane Cameron, 65, on May 16, of a sudden heart attack.
The longtime president and CEO of EMI Music Canada, Cameron made history in 1988 when he became the youngest Canadian president of a major music label. Starting out as a drummer in the band Harvest with Tom Cochrane, Cameron began working in the warehouse at EMI in 1977. He worked his way up the ranks to vice-president of A&R, signing acts that included Corey Hart, Luba, The Rankin Family, Kim Stockwood, Alfie Zappacosta, The Watchmen, I Mother Earth, and Johnny Reid, among many others. Cameron was president and CEO of the label from 1988 to 2012, when EMI was acquired by Universal Music. Since Sept 2015, he’d been president and CEO of Toronto music venues Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. An anti-piracy advocate and voice for the advancement of Canadian artists and music, Cameron was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010 and was the recipient of the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2011 JUNO Awards. Cameron also served on the boards of the Canadian Country Music Association, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), and was crucial in helping develop music education charity MusiCounts
