Written by: Alex Green

Al Gunn, who played bass with Men Without Hats, has died.

The cause of death for Gunn, 63, is unknown.

Born Alain Lefebvre in Canada, Gunn started playing guitar at thirteen and showed an early proficiency as a technician both as a player and as a builder of the instrument.

Gunn joined Men Without Hats during their Freeways tour and can be seen prominently in their 1985 concert film Live Hats.

After leaving Men Without Hats, Gunn opened his own guitar repair shop in Montreal called the Guitar Hospital and ran the successful business for the last 35 years.

The band’s social media account wrote of Gunn’s passing: “It is with great sadness that we regret to inform you of the passing of Al Gunn, former bass player for Men Without Hats. Al was a larger than life character, immortalized in the song Pop Goes The World (“Send Al Gunn to see the doctor BEN!”). He was a childhood friend, a loyal supporter, and a talented luthier to several generations of Montreal guitarists (The Guitar Hospital). He has left us much too soon, and will be dearly missed. RIP Al Gunn.”

On his own Facebook page, Men Without Hats’ Ivan Doroschuk remembered his former bandmate, writing: “…although we’re getting to an age where it’s not that unexpected to lose someone anymore, this is one loss that hits hard…He will forever be remembered for his colour-coded charts that he would tape to the floor in front of him on stage, to help with the songs he had trouble remembering, and much much much more. He was a gentle giant, a pussycat in lion’s clothing, a pillar of the Montreal music scene, and basically just an all-around great guy. His passing has affected a lot of people, as can be witnessed by the outpouring of tributes on the Men Without Hats facebook page. We keep his mother in our prayers, as Al’s father preceded him in death by only a couple of weeks. Safe journey Alain, bonne route mon chum, we’ll see you when we get there. God bless.”