With three Grammys under his belt, and more than four times that number of nominations, Walter Ostanek is in a music category by himself.

Now, Canada’s Polka King has a brand new castle in London — if he wants it — fit for recording royalty.

But it appears the aging accordion star from St. Catharines, 81, will pocket a $1-million prize instead.

Ostanek popped up Tuesday as the ultimate prize winner in the latest edition of the Dream Lottery to benefit London hospitals, able to choose between a new luxury house in London, a loft condo in the city, a Bayfield home or the big cash prize.

Ostanek, who was performing at Marineland on Tuesday, wasn’t on hand for the prize draw in London but told Postmedia News “things aren’t going to really change a lot in my life.”

“It’s just going to make it a little more comfortable to stay. Maybe treat my family a little bit,” he said.

Earlier, Ostanek told Tom McConnell on his 610 CKTB radio show in St. Catharines that he has no plans to move and the win is bittersweet because his wife is in a nursing home with dementia.

The octogenarian was gearing up for his second set of the day at Marineland in Niagara Falls when Postmedia caught up with him.

The windfall won’t keep the veteran musician away from the stage, he said.

“I love it too much. I love what I do.”

Ostanek won three Grammys for best polka album (1992, 1993 and 1994) and was nominated for 13 in total, in a more than half-century-long career. He’s also a member of the Order of Canada.

Another big winner was Londoner Dale Wilson, who won the 50/50 draw and will take home just under half a million dollars. His cash came from a prize pool that $951,870, a record amount for the lottery.

The Polka King, for his part, said he will believe his good fortune when he sees the cheque.

An engineer at the radio station, Larry Garrington, a friend of Ostanek’s, tracked him down to congratulate him on the win — the first the musician had heard of it.

“He was kind of dumbfounded, I don’t think he believed me at first. He just asked, ‘How do I know this is true?’ Where are you hearing this from?’” said Garrington.

Ostanek said he remembered buying a ticket in London, since he’s routinely bought raffle tickets for most of his life. He’d only won once, though — a trip for two for eight days to London, England.

It was a trip he took with his wife, Irene, 15 years ago.

With his wife now in a nursing home, Ostanek said there’s nothing the couple could do with the prize money that they haven’t already done. “I did everything. We did everything,” he said.

The Dream Lottery raises money for St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation, the London Health Sciences Foundation and Children’s Health Foundation for medical services at London hospitals.

“I’ve never heard of a celebrity winning the lottery, but Walter is the type of guy to support charity so it doesn’t surprise me at all he would do that,” said Garrington.

The Dream Lottery has raised more than $27 million since 1996 for the hospital foundations.

“I’m really excited we made someone a millionaire this morning,” Susan Crowley, president and chief executive of the Children’s Health Foundation, said during the draw at the main prize home at 90 Pebblecreek Walk.

Thrilling as the prize is for Ostanek, he said it doesn’t match the feeling of winning his first Grammy in 1992.

“Trying to win a Grammy is not an easy task. And then I won three in a row.”

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hailey.salvian@sunmedia.ca