[MUSIC] jacksoul, "Can't Stop"

[rfmcdonald]

Haydain Neale, lead singer of the acclaimed Toronto-based multi-genre urban music group jacksoul, died Sunday after a couple of long medical struggles.

More than two years after being knocked off his scooter and sustaining serious head injuries, Jacksoul lead singer Haydain Neale made his first public appearance in the audience of Bravo's Motown At The Concert Hall which was recorded Oct. 4 and aired Nov. 10.

After the house band, comprised primarily of his bandmates, announced that their performance was dedicated to Neale, the camera panned to him. He didn't smile or wave with that erstwhile exuberance, but jerked his head as wife Michaela put an arm around him.

It wasn't a long-enough glance to gauge the lingering effects of the Aug. 2007 accident.

And with the Nov. 3 release of a new Jacksoul single "Lonesome Highway" and an album of new material, Soulmate, slated for Dec. 1, fans couldn't help but think the Hamilton-born Neale was on the upswing.

His family has always been optimistic, but tightlipped, about his condition and intensive rehabilitation.

In a press release about the production of the new tunes – written, and seemingly recorded, prior to his accident – Neale says: "It takes me more time now, but I still orchestrate the room."

Sadly, Jacksoul's fifth album will now be the posthumous legacy of its gravelly-voiced frontman. Relatives announced late Monday that Neale died in hospital on Sunday after a seven-month battle with lung cancer.

Below is the jacksoul song "Can't Stop." Enjoy, and remember.

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