For those who grew up in the 1980s, the feel-good anthem "Rise Up" from The Parachute Club will always be remembered. The same is true of Billy Bryans, the Juno Award-winning drummer who co-founded the iconic Canadian band.
Bryans died on Monday at Toronto's Kensington Hospice after losing a long battle with lung cancer.
The Montreal native was 63.
"He went peacefully," Lorraine Segato, Bryans' longtime friend and band mate, told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.
Singer Segato, along with other friends and family members, had gathered around Bryans to care for him in the last weeks of his life.
The 24-7 vigil for Bryans was intense and powerful, according to Segato.
"I think Billy was really shocked at just how many people loved him," Segato said in an interview from Ottawa.
"He spent the last two, three weeks of his life in this beautiful hospice in Toronto with nurses who were so compassionate and lovely. He was surrounded by love…and the extended friends that he had gathered over the last 35 years," she said.
"It was great to be able to provide that kind of transition," said Segato.
In a career spanning four decades, Bryans was known as a promoter, DJ and mentor to young Canadian artists.
"Beyond Parachute Club, Billy spent a lot of time nurturing, mentoring, supporting and bringing attention to the world music that exists in Toronto and the country," said Segato.
Bryans also worked as a producer and engineer for the Downchild Blues Band, Raffi and Dutch Mason over the years, and helped bring Cuban performers such as Los Van Van to Canada.
Yet Bryans' connection to The Parachute Club never faded.
Launched in Toronto in 1982, The Parachute Club's sound gained a following around the world.
The band's original members included Bryans, Segato, keyboardist Lauri Conger, saxophone player Margo Davidson, percussionist Julie Masi, bass player Steve Webster and guitarist Dave Gray.
The Parachute Club released three top 40 hits in Canada between 1983 and 1987, including "Rise Up," "At the Feet of the Moon" and "Love is Fire."
With that success Bryans realized his dream to make music. That dream began as a child, when Bryans played drums along to discs borrowed from his father's store, Ted's Records and Hobbies, in Pointe-Claire, Que.
Bryans moved to Toronto in 1970 after graduating with a degree in English literature from Sir George Williams University.
In the years that followed, Bryans experimented with different sounds and artists, and was frequently spotted pushing his drum kit on a trolley on Toronto's Queen Street as he moved from club to club.
Bryans' first taste of commercial success came in 1973, when he co-produced the single, "Flip, Flop and Fly," for the Downchild Blues Band. That success multiplied with The Parachute Club, which took Bryans and the band on tours throughout Canada, Germany and the United Stated during the 80s.
The band went on to win four Juno Awards, including group of the year in 1984, before breaking up in 1989.
"Billy was always in the state of learning how to be a better drummer. That's one of the things I always loved about Billy. He extended beyond," said Segato.
Bryans announced that he had lung cancer in 2006. Later that year, Bryans defied the odds and recovered from the disease.
Early in 2012, Bryans announced that his cancer had returned.
Bryans peformed one last time with The Parachute Club before this announcement.
In August of 2011, Bryans joined Segato and other band members to perform on Canada's Walk of Fame. Weak from his illness, Bryans appeared at the end of the show to play "Rise Up" and one other song.
His delight to be back on stage was unmistakable, according to Segato.
"I think he knew that it was actually the last time he was going to be on stage. It was a pretty powerful moment for all of us," she said.
Last week, a benefit was held for Bryans to raise funds for his palliative care costs. The concert featured performances by Alex Cuba, Son Ache and Samba Squad and Canadian jazz star Jane Bunnett.
"Billy saw how he was loved," said Segato.
"He has taught me as much in his death as he has in my life with him as a friend and collaborator," she said.