|
|
|
Loreena McKennitt By Francais Harrel To lose her spouse proves to be too difficult. The Canadian singer and musician Loreena McKennitt knows something else. Le Lundi had the privilege to obtain an interview of the very intimate story she has never made public. She will tell the big secrets behind her love. It was July 19, 1998: The singer was at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in England mixing the recording of her first live album. Ronald Rees, her fiance, had remained in Canada and that evening she went to sleep without being able to reach him. It was very strange since they usually talk every day at a set hour. More over, the young man had a pager. At three that morning, the she was awakened by the ringing of the telephone. One of her employees at her office in Stratford (Ontario) and learns that the man she was to marry in the fall had disappeared, presumed drowned, in the Georgian Bay. The atrist quickly returned to Canada. It was too late, as the lifeless body of Ronald Rees, 28, was recovered, but his two companions, unfortunately, were never found: Richard Rees, 25, brother of Ronald, and Gregory Cook, 17, a friend. Almost a year-and-a-half too late, and too little time after Loreena went out to record her "Live in Paris and Toronto" album, in order to deal with the tragedy, she is right now taking a pause from her career. Loreena McKennitt, How were your fiance and his companions perished? We will never know exactly. But the most probable cause is a sudden formation of a squall, or a gust of wind or rain, which would have abused their small boat (a sailing ship of 16 feet). Weren't there six or seven people who knew of their expedition, and never called the coast guard when they saw that they were late returning back? Yes, and it is difficult for me to imagine Ron with his life preserver on, in in full darkness trying to swim to the bank knowing that these people were in a house not far from there. He probably died of hypothermia, which could have been prevented if the coast guard was called at a resonable time. But another problem was that the bodies of Richard and Gregory, who were not wearing life jackets, were never found. Ron was the love of your life? Yes, and by very far... We used the perfect expression, "soul mate;" Ron was without a doubt, my soul mate. Had you known each other very long? Not very, no. To make it interesting, he was much younger than I am. Twelve years apart? Yes, but Ron was very mature. He had his own business. He had degrees in economics, literature, and in... I cannot think of the others. Briefly spoken, he was very educated. We had much in common. Like myself, he loved the full air was occupied by questions of the environment and was very active in the community. His values closely resembled mine. It is why we made such a fast and profound relationship. He was equally generous and gentle and we had common curiosities. Here we were, moreover, and it would have allowed the who of us to grow, to preserve whatever was of interest, one for the other and it is a wish- to continue to be interesting people. Two weeks after the tragedy, you have founded the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund of Water Search and Safety, an orginization to promote security on the water and improve the operations of research in case of a similar drama. How have you succeeded in raising money so quickly? I had always wondered if any efforts could be made. Again, today, I had lived very bad days, bad hours... It was very difficult to not leave myself torn apart by the accident because I had waited for this person all my life. But the tragedy was even bigger for the Ron's parents because they lost both their sons. For my part, by nature, and by my own survival, I had tried very hard to find a manner of change in this test that orients us towards life. There it was, why my family and myself had thought and created this fund and hope it can help save at least one life. We had set up some sort of monument in the living memory of our loved ones who disappeared, and it allowed us to channel our emotions. Didn't you survive an accident on the road as a child? Yes, I did, I had already had two accidents on the road, one when I was five years old, and the other, much later. In the case of the first one, if I had not worn my seat belt, I would be dead. According to Ron, two months before his fatal accident, he had himslef on the edge of death. That night, I had given a concert in Toronto and the police came to the scene, wanting to talk to me; my fiance came to be the victim of a car accident. It was a true miracle that he survived. Was he hurt too bad? No. But we were very shaken by the event. I remember that moment that followed. We sat on the balcony with a glass of wine. He said to me, "If you ever perished in an accident, I don't know if I'd be able to survive." (Silence). When he is in an experience of that sort, also very traumatic, it is when when we must ask the question: "Do I believe in life, or not?" What is your response? At the end of the account, two things are offered to us: to want to live on this planet or not. Even now that I have lived through a huge loss, I want to follow my appreciation of this existence and do my part in society. What pleases you so in that existence? Well, I don't know... (laughs). It depends on the day. I would say, I am always at full heart to do what will allow me reply to that question one day. I must put the event back in perspective; I am convinced that I can do something, that it can allow me the growth. (Silence). The first step consists of making the best out of life; the second, not to forget that each one of us had a role to play here. (Silence). Also, one day, one can fall in love again. Though in another type of love because I don't believe one can like two people in the same way. According to you philosophy, is Ron gone forever? When someone touches you such an intense way, I don't believe that he is gone completely. I think it is very important that Ron is making his way into a place in my proper frame. Which place? (Silence). It is hard to say. But when one is involved with some one, they change and grow. I have changed and I have grown, thanks to him, simply while realizing that I am who I want to be, and while discovering which are the values to take to heart. (Silence). One can change in the beauty and essence of the person who is gone and through flashbacks, see it for themselves.
For a copy of Loreena McKennitt's album, Live in Paris and Toronto, on sale this month, $10 (CAN) go to the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund of Water Search and Safety. Loreena McKennitt wants yachtsmen to know two safety points: 1. Never leave for an expedition without a life jacket. eighty percent of fatal tragedies on the water are a result of negligence. 2. Tell someone before leaving: Your navigation plan, and when you plan to return. Also inform them to consult with authorities if you do not return within thirty minutes of your foreseen arrival.
Card Information Birth date: February 17, 1957 |
