[LINK] "Chris Hyndman’s death is a loss to the national family"

[rfmcdonald]

Anne Kingston's MacLean's article on the surprising death of Chris Hyndman, one half of the out couple behind the CBC afternoon show Steven & Chris, gets it. I would add that the couple of Steven and Chris was important simply because they were out, and themselves. It is a sad day.

This morning’s news that Chris Hyndman had died at age 49 met with a national gasp of shock followed by disbelief and sorrow. Social media tributes poured in for the Ottawa-born, Newfoundland-raised Hyndman, a household name as the irrepressible half of design/lifestyle duo everyone knew as “Steven and Chris.” He’d joked, mugged and charmed his way into the hearts of millions since the pair burst on the scene as the stylish-yet-friendly Designer Guys, which was also the name of their HGTV makeover show that debuted in 2001.

For the past eight years, the couple had brandished their signature style and chemistry as co-hosts of CBC-TV’s afternoon lifestyle show, Steven and Chris. Like all famous pop-culture couples, from Nick and Nora to Sonny and Cher, they knew their roles: Sabados was the focused, practical, hard-working one, Hyndman, the self-deprecating, avowed scatterbrain who emanated joy and delight with every breath he took.

Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs at CBC English services, announced Hyndman’s death this morning. Few details have been released. Toronto Police confirmed his body was found in a Toronto alley last night. No cause of death has been given; there is no ongoing criminal investigation.

Intensifying the sense of loss is the fact that Hyndman was half of a beloved professional-personal duo, a rare occurrence in Canadian popular culture. The two men had been together since meeting in a Toronto bar in 1988 when both worked for CityTV, Hyndman as a makeup artist. They moved in together three months later. Their design company, the Sabados Group, was founded in 1992. But TV, beginning with appearances on CityTV, was their calling. Designer Guys was followed by Design Rivals and So Chic with Steven and Chris.