Saskatchewan country musician Lorrie Church passes away

Saskatchewan country musician Lorrie Church has died.

Church, who was of Metis and Cree ancestry and grew up in Meadow Lake, passed away Tuesday after battling a rare form of bone cancer.

She started playing guitar at the age of 12 and years later put together a band that toured extensively in western and northern Canada.

Church was named entertainer of the year, female vocalist of the year and most promising artist at the 1996 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards (SCMA).

She also won the group award for Last Train Out and single and video of the year for Baby Don’t Go.

In 1999, Church was named the SCMA entertainer of the year for a second time.

She was also nominated for two national achievement awards that year.

With files from The Canadian Press