Onetime HELIX guitarist Daniel Fawcett was found murdered early Sunday morning (November 6) in an Ontario park. He was 52 years old
HELIX founder and singer Brian Vollmer confirmed the news in a Facebook post, writing: “What a sad day… Yesterday Dan Fawcett, who played guitar for HELIX around 2000, was found murdered in a North London park. Dan was a sweet guy-always smiling-and a great guitar player as well. No details have been released yet, so there’s little more I can say here. All I can say is that both [my wife] Lynda and I are in shock.”
Global News reported that Fawcett was discovered at around 6:45 a.m. near the bottom of the Grosvenor Street hill leading into Gibbons Park in London, Ontario, Canada. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
Fawcett played guitar on HELIX‘s 2004 album “Rockin’ In My Outer Space“.
Daniel’s longtime friend Tim E. Hendry told Global News: “We played in so many different bands together for years and years. I think every band I ever played drums in in London, Dan at one point had to be the guitar player. He was the lead guitarist in my Elvis show up there, TIM E. & THE YES MEN. He could play that chicken pickin’, beautiful, James Burton, Telecaster-clean sound, and then the next night he can go and play Ozzy Osbourne or go play for HELIX or something like that.”
Hendry said Fawcett was like a brother to him, saying: “Dan was loved so much beyond his incredible talent on the guitar. He was just one of the sweetest guys you’ll ever meet, and we just can’t fathom why anybody would do this to him. He wouldn’t hurt a flea. He was just so kind-hearted, and all he cared about was his friends, his music, and his especially his beautiful daughter. What a tragic loss for such a beautiful soul to be taken away way too early.”