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The frustrating mystery of a respected Toronto musician who vanished without a trace seems to have been solved in the strangest of ways — when a man who died from a fall and was buried in August returned to the city alive and well.

It now appears a tragic case of mistaken identity caused Scott Cushnie, a much-loved and storied piano man who played with a bewildering array of musicians including Aerosmith and Ronnie Hawkins, to be misidentified and buried under another name while his friends and family frantically searched for him for weeks.

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Authorities are working to confirm the remains — not yet exhumed — are those of Cushnie, 80, of Toronto.

“It has been an absolutely mindboggling few weeks. He seemed to just disappear into thin air,” said Andrea Reid, a close friend of Cushnie’s, who first reported him missing to police.

“Scott had a very unique life and for him to have a unique ending, I guess it seems appropriate in a lot of ways.”