Wayne Kuntz, a man who welcomed Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans to his Regina backyard en masse for more than two decades has died, according to an update from his family. Kuntz’s daughter, Kelly Kuntz, confirmed he passed peacefully in hospital on Thursday night. “There was no big emergency or suffering. He simply slipped away quietly,” Kuntz said in a social media post. “Yesterday he told me very firmly, ‘I’m going home today.’ I can’t stop thinking about that.” She added the family is heartbroken but feel Wayne is at peace. “Thank you to everyone who has followed along, prayed for him, checked in and loved Dad through all of this,” Kuntz said. The 76-year-old had been in hospital for several weeks and was in intensive care during this year’s Labour Day Classic. Wayne’s presence was missed by football fans who gathered near his Garnet Street home ahead of the game in September. “He welcomed us with open arms, and he couldn’t be more of a nice guy. We always think about Wayne,” Chadd Kehler told CTV News on Sept. 7. Known as “Wayne’s World,” the tailgate tradition dates back to 2004 when Kuntz invited fans getting off a bus to use his yard for some drinks before the game. “They said, ‘But we’re Winnipeg fans,’ and I said, ‘I don’t care, we’re football fans,’ so he turned around, he said, ‘Hey everybody over here’ and so here they were,” Kuntz said in 2021. Earlier this year, support poured in for Wayne after a house fire when fans raised thousands of dollars to help. Outside of hosting the annual tailgate, Wayne Kuntz was also a longtime musician. “Dad had such a wide circle of friends, teammates, musicians and people who knew him over the years. If there is someone you think should know, please help us pass this along,” Kelly Kuntz said. Wayne’s family ended the update by thanking everyone who has followed along on his medical journey as condolences pour in, many of them from members of the two rival fanbases he helped unite. With files from Damian Smith, Kaylynn Whibbs, Daniel Reech and Rhonda Nye
