The Winnipeg music community is mourning the death of Mitch Podolak.

Podolak was a co-founder of the Winnipeg Folk Festival and founder of the West End Cultural Centre.

Facebook was flooded with stories Sunday evening of the impact he had on the community.

Winnipeg Folk Festival wrote: ‘Words cannot express how much he will be missed. More than one of our founders, he was a father, a friend, a leader, a mentor, a true visionary. We owe so much of who we are to him.”

Podolak will be remembered for his decades of contributions to the Canadian music scene.