“Family, friends, students, the Canadian music community have all suffered an enormous loss,” Ellias wrote.

Haynes, who grew up in Dunrobin, studied classical guitar at 12 only to become captivated by the music of jazz guitar legend Joe Pass.

Still in high school, Haynes and O’Connor had a weekly gig at Cafe Wim on Sussex Drive. “The owner advised us how to play standards, which we did through one amp that we stole from Canterbury High School, which we drifted in and out of,” Haynes told the Citizen in an interview a few years ago.

“We met Nick a little later, who started playing with us at Sammy’s Cellar (on Sparks Street) and wherever else would have us,” Haynes continued. “We started playing original music, rearranging standards and doing what we believed to be more “outside” stuff. We were also incredibly fortunate to have opportunities to play with more seasoned musicians like Hugh O’Connor, Vernon, Jamie Gatti, Kirk MacDonald and others who kicked our asses.”

Haynes told the Citizen in a 1993 story: “”It was strange. You’re hanging out with people who are a lot older and we’d sit around until the wee hours of the morning talking. These were guys that had great stories to tell. And the next day, you’re with people your own age and you’re supposed to relate but you can’t.”

Haynes spoke then of wanting to move to Vancouver and study music therapy. He had already volunteered as a music teacher to a group of autistic children, and been enriched by the experience. “I really got something out of that. (Music) certainly gave them some pleasure or solace,” Haynes said.

In the mid-1990s, Haynes lived in a Centretown apartment where the dining room was a musician’s den. Haynes said then: ”I’ve got just enough work here to make a living. I have thought about going to Toronto or New York or London but there are some great musicians here to work with, for one thing. And if I were to move to a bigger city, I wouldn’t necessarily be doing my own stuff.”