I am very sad, and very sorry to announce that Ross Rutledge (Mr. Bluetunes) passed away early this morning after a long illness.  I know he will be much missed by his family, and all his friends here at BlueRodeo.com.  Ross is survived by his mother, and the two sons that he absolutely adored.

Ross was a good friend to me, always offering a kind word and a hug when I was really down.  I will miss him very much.  Ross was to have attended the upcoming Blue Rodeo concert at Massey Hall on February 29th with me, if he was well enough.  You can bet that I will be shedding a few tears that night, knowing he was supposed to be there.  However, keeping him in my mind and heart, perhaps he will be there after all. 

(I know that there is another thread that refers to Ross' illness, and his death early this morning.  I am asking the moderators to let this thread stand separately, for reasons I will explain if they wish to contact me.)

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I carry with me the memory of a field I once knew, of a night so full of stars that I was left humbled by it's endless beauty. I know that whatever the cost, life is worth living. So bring it on...I can take it.

I posted in the other thread but I was just going to email Lori & suggest a new and separate thread so nobody would miss this terribly sad news. 

When I think about Ross the thing that I think of instantly is his love for his boys.  I hope his boys will always remember how much they meant to him.  It is truly a gift to grow up knowing you were the most important thing in a parent's life & his boys were certainly that.  Ross's boys are way too young to have lost their Dad but they were lucky to have a Dad who really has his priorities in order.   My heart goes out to his boys, his mom, and all his friends & family who loved him.

Carol I know you & Ross were good friends and my heart goes out to you.  I know how much the friends I have met here mean to me and I cannot imagine losing any of them.  Lots of hugs to you.  I hope you're doing ok.

R.I.P. Mr. Bluetunes.

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Greg Keelor met Jim Cuddy and then I met you people. Serendipity is a marvellous thing.


"I guess I don't know if I believe in God but
I know a song can make you feel good once
in a while." ~Greg Keelor~

I had read the earlier post asking for prayer and realized that he was very ill but had no idea how serious his illness was.

I didn't get to know Mr. Bluetunes other than through his posts, mostly before Stratford last year. Two things were very clear, he was very close to some of the boardies and truly adored his boys.

I am sorry for his passing and offer my condelences to those who knew him well, be it his family or fellow boardies.

W&T

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Just a little of that Human Touch - Bruce Springsteen

I posted in another thread too, and I also didn't know how serious his condition was.

I know that his presence on this board has touched many people, and I hope we have all learned a few things from him.

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"Even though you tried so hard, you couldn't hide your smile"

The Sparkster's Myspace Music Page

Thanks for starting a new thread, Carol... I don't know what I was thinking... or maybe I wasn't. Sorry... I'm on strong antibiotics right now and other meds. My head's kinda fuzzy and I'm just feeling sad in general...

I will just repeat what I said in my initial post.

Ross was a kind-hearted soul... As he suffered with health problems and other hardships during these past few years, he never lost his sense of humour and always found the time to be there for his friends, whether it was to lend an ear or to offer words of kindness and support. Oh sure, we all remember the Ross who would often post and stick both feet in his mouth and I'm positive he's looking down at me right now and chuckling because he's surely agree, but there was another side to our Mr. Bluetunes that not everyone got to see... I was fortunate to get to know Ross away from the discussion board... No, I never got the opportunity to meet him face-to-face, but he was one of those people that I mentioned in that "You People" thread... You know... Those people you never actually meet, but who touch your life nonetheless.

Not a week went by that I didn't receive an e-mail from Ross just so he could check in on me to see how I was feeling  (knowing that I was struggling with a few of my own health issues). That man had a heart of gold and I'm going to miss him.

If anyone would like to know where to send flowers or donations in lieu, please contact myself or Carol...

I am just bumping this thread so it appears instead of the earlier one. 

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Greg Keelor met Jim Cuddy and then I met you people. Serendipity is a marvellous thing.


"I guess I don't know if I believe in God but
I know a song can make you feel good once
in a while." ~Greg Keelor~

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"There's one in every crowd, for crying out loud,
why was it always turning out be me"

Indeed deserving of a seperate thread.

God Bless Ross, may you rest in peace.

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Talk Is Cheap - Well I Outta Know!!!!!!
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I never met Ross in person, but I knew three things about him from reading his posts on this discussion board:

1. He loved his sons.
2. He loved his friends.
3. He loved Blue Rodeo.

May his love live on in the hearts of all who knew him.

(Moderator Note: I have made this thread "sticky" for as long as possible.  This means it will stay up at the top of the forum for one year.  I'm going to lock the other thread because I'm a little leery of trying to combine two threads.  In the past, we've ended up with two identical threads.)

This is very sad news..my deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

I haven't been on the boards much this last little while - my work schedule has been pretty hectic, and by the time I get home I'm almost too tired to even check my email, let alone spend alot of time surfing the net and checking in on the forums. I decided to hop on here and right away as I noticed this thread, I had a really bad feeling but at the same time "prayed that the trouble all had passed, just something that I dreamed".

Ross was a good man - devoted father, caring friend. I remember one time after a Keelor show down at Lee's Palace, he drove a few of us back from downtown Toronto all the way up to Don Mills station where my ride home had parked her car. It's quite a long ways from Bloor and Bathurst to Don Mills and Sheppard, yet Ross was kind enough to make that trek for us.

I'll always remember Ross for his wit and sense of humour. Considering the adversity he had to deal with over the last few years, he never seemed to lose his sense of humour or the ability to see the light in every dark corner.

I'll miss you, Ross - you were a good friend.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Bluetunes

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~ ...and all the demons are saints, and the saints I'll never trust...~ Blue Rodeo - "Graveyard"

~...Had a dream where everybody looked like someone else, and the farthest I could get from was the closest to myself...~ Men Without Hats - "Sideways"

Very sad news indeed.

Although it's clear that several people here knew Ross offline, there is perhaps no immediate time or place at which people who will miss him can meet to celebrate his life. Maybe his friends could meet here?

Does anyone have a story about him that they would like to tell? He seemed like a good guy.

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borderline useless from hanging around

I was just looking over Ross' profile page here at BlueRodeo.com, and came across this in the section that is 'About Mr.Bluetunes'

Ross' description of his two sons, in his own words: 

MY LIFES MAINSTAY: My 2 boys of coarse! Justin & Jesse THEY are the CENTRE of my UNIVERSE! As HUGE as music may be in my life? My "young dudes" come first! They truely are "MY BEST FRIENDS"

And his signature line:

~I'm steady as rain, nothing ever changes in my heart~ JGC

I think that both of these accurately represent the Ross his friends know and love.

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I carry with me the memory of a field I once knew, of a night so full of stars that I was left humbled by it's endless beauty. I know that whatever the cost, life is worth living. So bring it on...I can take it.

Goodbye Mr. Bluetunes.

May you rest in peace.

Thank you, Carol, for posting that from Ross's profile page. Since I learned of his illness & his passing this morning, it is Ross' boys I have thought of, knowing how very much he loved them. 

My deepest sympathies go out to Ross' family & friends, including those he held dear to his heart here.

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...then curl up by the fire and sleep for awhile,
it's the grooviest thing, it's the perfect dream ~ The Cure

One man's 'ridiculous' is another man's 'Yabba-dabba-doo' ~ Charlie on Two & a Half Men

Keep it simple