![]() That says it all, more than words can say, about who she was and how she saw the world.Share the memories and enjoy a magical Christmas at home with Rita MacNeil In Christmas at Home with Rita MacNeil, the internationally renowned songwriter, recording artist, performer and television personality shares her most treasured memories of the season. "I hope everybody take some time and listen to some music. "You'll be amazed at the range and the depth of her poetry," she said. Tickets sold out within a day when it was announced.ĭonovan hopes people continue to explore Smith's music. I'm happy and I'm not afraid," Smith's message said.Ī tribute concert March 29 at Casino Nova Scotia will go ahead as planned. "I am blossoming into an understanding of just how deep the truth of our 'togetherness' is. She said thanked her treatment team and her "glorious friends." 27 on the GoFundMe page, Smith said she was grateful for the support and felt "luckier than she imagined possible at a time like this." "She went from being a very, very sick person to having some restored quality of life so she could spend her last time with her friends, enjoying life," she said. Just 10 days ago, after an appointment with her oncologist, Donovan said Smith decided to walk to a nearby restaurant where she shared stories with friends over lunch with a wine spritzer. "She knew she was dying but having the care she had really made her quality of life so much better at the end than when she was just sick and not getting treatment," said Donovan. She wanted any additional donations from the GoFundMe to support local programs that help people stay comfortable in the environment of their choice. Smith contributed to an opinion piece in the Chronicle Herald where she spoke about the need for a better understanding of the benefits of palliative care. The contributions allowed Smith to stay at home in her final weeks as she received oncological and palliative care. Some who donated were longtime friends, others were strangers touched by her music. It far exceeded its goal and raised $45,000. In January, hundreds of people donated to a GoFundMe friends set up for Smith. "She really went out on a cloud of love." "She handled it all with absolute grace … she never lost her sense of humour right until the end, which is kind of a gift as well," said Donovan. People gathered to play guitar at her bedside. She loved playing for her audience and her audience gave it back."Īnother friend, Erin Donovan, said even in Smith's final weeks she was creating new music. "I guess it was just love, pure and simple, joy and love that was reciprocal. "There was a connection that was a little deeper between Laura and her audience," he said. In 2013, Smith returned with a new album, Everything is Moving.īut people didn't forget about her and Dunn said it was electrifying to see people connect again after Smith's hiatus. She struggled with an addiction to narcotics following a series of accidents in the late 90s that left her in chronic pain. ![]() There was a 15-year period of Smith's life where she didn't release any music. "The songs, as good as they were … she was bringing more, even more weight to them."ĭunn, who also played with Rita MacNeil for the last 13 years of her life, said they were similar artists in the sense that both women had "loyal, loving and supportive fans." "There was something a little extra special going on there because of those songs, because of those lyrics - the way presented them, night in and night out, with all of her heart," he said. He said Smith had a knack for reshaping her own songs, giving them new depth and meaning. Kim Dunn toured with Smith for the last five years and they became very close. I learned a lot from her in that aspect," he said. She gave me that ability and let me just be who I was and play what I thought was right. "She was so involved in it being just right, just the way she heard it. He said she was not only a talented songwriter, but a generous musician who sparked creativity. Their last gig together was last November in Musquodoboit. In 1995, she won the East Coast Music Award for Album of the Year and Female Artist of the Year for B'tween The Earth and My Soul.īassist Bruce Dixon played with Smith on most of her albums. Originally from southern Ontario, Smith lived and worked in Nova Scotia for 35 years. Smith died of cancer at her home in Mahone Bay, N.S., Saturday night. Friends are remembering folk singer and songwriter Laura Smith as a talented performer who connected with a loyal audience, brought the best out in her collaborators and handled a terminal illness with humour and grace.
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