MONTREAL – The last ever song Dick Wagner recorded in March of 2014, was a cover of Kiss’ Every Time I Look at You to help raise funds for the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Care Residence.
Wagner, who died last week of respiratory failure aged 71, was a skilled guitarist who worked with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Kiss and Aerosmith, and also co-wrote many of Cooper’s hits.
He became involved with the fundraising project at the behest of local rock reporter and project organizer, Mitch Lafon.
READ MORE: Rock guitarist Dick Wagner dies at 71
Lafon was on the Morning News with Richard Dagenais last year to launch the first album A World With Heroes, which raised over $30,000 for the cancer care home in Hudson.
The album featured artists from big name bands such as Guns N’ Roses, Black Sabbath, Cinderella, Whitesnake, Honeymoon Suite, Slaughter, Brighton Rock, Slaves On Dope, Great White, and many more.
Find out more about the A World With Heroes album here.
Over the past 25 years, Lafon has developed enduring friendships with some of rock’s elite, but he told Global News that he still finds it incredible so many stars would volunteer their time and their music to this very local project, for nothing in return.
“They just did this out of the kindness of their hearts,” Lafon said.
For him, the biggest take-away from this endeavour has been the realization of how important it is to give back to your community.
“You can go to the care home and see how the money was used. You can see that they hired a new nurse, and you can see concrete results.”
Lafon’s father-in-law passed away at the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Care Residence, and last Aug. 27, he released the first album to mark what would have been his 75th birthday.
The new EP, which Dick Wagner collaborated on, will mark the one-year anniversary of Lafon’s father-in-law’s death and will again be released on his birthday.
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