HALIFAX (CelebrityAccess) – Nova Scotian musician, author, former singer, guitarist and primary songwriter for the Canadian band April Wine – Myles Goodwyn, died Sunday (December 3). His death was confirmed via his publicist, Eric Alper. Alper said the cause of death and funeral details would not be shared, citing privacy requests from Goodwyn’s family. He was 75.
April Wine’s Legendary Singer-Songwriter MYLES GOODWYN Passes Away At Age 75
Myles Goodwyn, singer, guitarist, writer, producer and leader of the multi-Platinum selling rock band April Wine, who shaped and directed the group from its earliest beginnings, has died today at the… pic.twitter.com/5tjVO062OR
— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) December 3, 2023
The Woodstock, New Brunswick-born Goodwyn appeared on every April Wine release and formed the band with original members – brothers Ritchie (drums), David (guitar) and Jim (bass) Henman in 1969. The band has sold over 10 million records worldwide and received 10 JUNO nominations. The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010, with Goodwyn inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame the same year. Goodwyn also received the East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award (2008) and the SOCAN National Achievement Award (2002).
Goodwyn, after years of alcohol use, collapsed heading to a Quebec airport in 2008 as the substance abuse had caused internal bleeding, and he nearly died. After spending months in a rehab facility, CBC reports that Goodwyn wanted to try other things.
He released two books, an autobiography, Just Between You and Me (2016) and a fictional novel, Elvis and Tiger (2018). In addition, he released a solo effort, Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues (2018), which earned him a JUNO nomination for Blues Recording of the Year (2019) and won the ECMA Award for Blues Recording of the Year (2019).
Back in 2016, Goodwyn told the Montreal Gazette that he wrote his autobiography first and foremost for his three grown-up children.
“I wrote the book for my children because I was either in the recording studio or on the road (when they were growing up),” he said. “So I wasn’t the kind of dad who left in the morning and came back at the end of the day. I missed all that normal stuff by being so involved in my livelihood. I wanted them to know their dad. I wanted them to know what happened, what I’d been through, where I’d been. So this book gives them the opportunity to know all those things.
At the start of 2023, the singer announced he was retiring from touring but that April Wine would continue with his blessing.
“Although I’m still in the band writing, recording the guys and producing, I am now officially retired from touring,” Goodwin said at the time. “I will miss the shows, the fans and the other bands that have been friends for years, but health reasons have made this decision necessary.” Goodwyn revealed to CBC earlier in 2023 that he was tired of traveling and living out of a suitcase, saying, “The lifestyle is not healthy for me anymore,” which could allude to Goodwyn’s diabetes diagnosis.
Goodwyn’s last performance took place on March 2 in Nova Scotia, but continued to be involved with the band in a management role and helped to write songs for a new album.
