Jeff Healey (1966—2008)
Born in Toronto, Ontario. His biological parents abandoned him.
When Healey was eight months old, he lost his sight due to a rare tumor—retinoblastoma. His eyes were surgically removed and replaced with prosthetics. However, this did not prevent him from learning to play the guitar, which was given to him by his adoptive parents. Healey placed it on his lap and played using the tapping technique, which he essentially reinvented.
He died at the St. Joseph’s Medical Center in his hometown of Toronto in 2008, at the age of 41, from lung cancer. After a series of surgeries to remove two sarcomas from his leg, and then from his lungs, the cancer finally caught up with him. He is survived by his wife Cristie, and two children—a daughter and a son.
Here’s a video of his duet with Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 