Ronnie Prophet, 80, on Mar. 2, following a heart attack. Prophet made his debut on CFRA Ottawa country music program The Happy Wanderers, after performing at area clubs as a youth. He appeared at Montreal nightclubs in the 1960s, before moving to Nashville in 1969. Prophet went on to host Canadian television shows The Ronnie Prophet Show, Grand Ole Country, Rocky Mountain Inn and Ronnie ‘N The Browns. He won Juno Awards in 1978 and ‘79 for country male vocalist of the year. Over the years, five of his singles reached the Billboard country charts. In more recent years, he was based in Branson, Missouri.
Franklin Delaney, 77, on Mar. 1. Born on the Island of Havre-aux-Maisons in the Magdalen Islands, Delaney left at age 13 to pursue studies at Bathurst College, then obtained his law degree from the University of Ottawa, and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1968. Delaney held the positions of assistant secretary and secretary at the CRTC, before becoming the owner of a group of regional radio stations in Quebec, starting in 1971. In the early 1980s, he joined the CBC as an advisor to the president, becoming vice-president of French television in 1986 and then founding president of TV5 Québec-Canada and member of the board of TV5 Europe. His contribution to the promotion of Francophone culture through the development of the TV network earned him the honor of the insignia of Chevalier and Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. La France. Since 2000, he had been chair of the Board of Directors of the Quebecor Foundation. In 2012, he received the Order of Canada for his role in the development of the telecommunications industry and his community involvement in the Magdalen Islands.
Prowse Jerrett, 92, on Mar. 2, in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. Jerrett was one of the earliest employees of CBYT Corner Brook, NL, CBC’s first full time operation in the province, joining the staff in 1960. He worked as an announcer/operator hosting various radio programs, the midday television news and interviews with local, national and international celebrities. He is best remembered for his work at the weather board on the suppertime “Here and Now” program, until his retirement in 1985. Jerrett moved to Sault Ste. Marie in 2000 to be closer to family.
Neil Colin, 84, on Feb. 28. Known as “the Mouth of the Peel,” Colin was a legendary Tetlit Gwich’in storyteller. The Fort McPherson elder contributed to CBQM-AM radio in Fort McPherson, as well as CBC Radio’s Northwind. In recent years, he’d been living in Yellowknife after being diagnosed with dementia.
