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OTTAWA -- Canada's media family lost a giant Saturday night with the death of Ottawa Sun writer Earl McRae.
The colourful columnist collapsed in the Sun newsroom and was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to revive him.
McRae was 69 years old.
Earl was a brilliant storyteller whose writing awards could fill a wall. Opinionated and mischievous, the self-proclaimed "Lippy Little Shin Kicker" could make you laugh or cry, sometimes in a single sentence.
"He was old-school as a journalist and a great mentor for younger newsroom staff," said Ottawa Sun publisher Rick Gibbons. "Most of all, he was an incredibly courageous writer whose opinions often got him, and occasionally his bosses, in hot water.
"Earl identified with the man on the street, the war vet, the down-on-his-luck resident of a local mission. He gave voice to all of them. His death comes as a terrible shock to everyone. On behalf of all staff of the Ottawa Sun and Sun Media, I want to express our deepest condolences to Earl's family. I want them to know that we join them in grief over this terrible loss."
"It is a great shock," said friend and colleague Mike Therien. "Earl was more full of life than people half his age."
McRae wrote columns in news and sports for the Sun for 20 years. Before that, he had a long and colourful career that included stints with the Ottawa Journal, the Peterborough Examiner, the Toronto Star and the Ottawa Sun's cross-town rivals at the Citizen.
"Earl was a bit of an institution -- he caused a lot of commotion," said former heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo. "We had our moments. I chased him down the bloody street somewhere over something he wrote.
"We started off on the wrong foot, but as often happens in life, we ended up friends."
McRae loved words. They mattered to him. His portraits of the famous and the regular won him many awards and top nominations. His profiles for the Canadian Magazine were among his personal favourites, the best of which were made into successful books: Requiem for Reggie and The Victors and the Vanquished.
"These books are a clinic in sports writing," said Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons. "They are what every young writer should read, what every journalist should look at."
During his career McRae covered everything from local sports to international events like the funeral of Princess Diana.
"Earl kept everything he ever wrote and everything he loved by other authors," said Therien. "Often he would bring me in old yellow clippings to share, like a proud father."
Amazingly unpretentious, McRae was most at home at the Prescott or at the Newport Restaurant in Westboro, where he would chat for hours with anyone from politicians to journalism students. It's also the place where he helped found the Elvis Sighting Society.
"It's a big loss, a big shock -- it's overwhelming," said Newport owner and close friend Moe Atallah. "I lost a brother."
Earl leaves a gap in Ottawa journalism that will be impossible to fill.
"I miss him already," said Ottawa Sun editor in chief Mitchell Axelrad. "He was a true pro who loved to be in the paper and had a passion for the work he did. He was, quite simply, a magician when it came to stringing words together and telling stories."
Former mayor Larry O'Brien saw what many of McRae's readers did.
"He understood human nature," O'Brien said. "I thought he was always fair, he was light-hearted, a wonderful human being. He had a huge sense of humour. This all makes me very sad.
"He had this humour of biting commentary. He will be missed by the paper and the people of Ottawa."
Mayor Jim Watson said McRae had an uncanny ability to bring words to life and make one laugh with his style and quirky way of looking at life.
"From his work with the Elvis Sighting Society to his journalistic awards, he has left a huge mark on our country and city and will be missed," Watson said.
Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Bob Chiarelli was shocked by the news.
"The guy had left so many friends, it's unbelievable," Chiarelli said.
"He was an unbelievable writer, just amazing, amazing, amazing. He was one of a kind. They don't make them like that anymore."
For some, McRae's influence extended beyond his articles.
"I owe my induction to the Hall of Fame in part to the persuasive way he had on my behalf," said former CFLer Ken Lehmann. "He was a great writer."
McRae's stories influenced generations of Canadian writers.
"He had an absolutely unique talent -- to me he was a giant," said Simmons. "He would get a person to open up like no one else would."
"Ottawa and the Valley, as well as journalism, has lost one of its great characters," said Sun Media national editorial writer Mark Bonokoski, who was McRae's publisher and editor in the 1990s. "Earl was a great storyteller and a hell of a journalist and truly one of a kind. This is sad news."
McRae is survived by his daughters Jill and Caitie; sons Robert, Neil and Dave; sisters Laurie and Chris; brothers Bob, Bill and Steve; and grandchildren Lesya, Ayden and Paige.
- Wrote for the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, the Peterborough Examiner, the Toronto Star, the Canadian Magazine and the Ottawa Citizen.
- Ottawa Sun columnist since 1990.
- Radio broadcaster in Toronto and Ottawa.
- Author of Requiem for Reggie and The Victors and the Vanquished, both collections of his Canadian and American magazine sports profiles.
- Wrote film documentaries on boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, marathoners Bill Rodgers and Roberto Salazar, NFL quarterback Joe Montana for World's Greatest Athletes series.
- Won the Canadian Consumers' Choice "Man Of The Year" Award in an Ottawa-Gatineau poll by Leger Marketing.
- Recipient of the Royal Canadian Legion's "Friendship Award," its highest civilian honour, for his articles on the military and veterans.
- Founder of the non-profit Elvis Sighting Society in 1989. The society has raised more than $500,000 for Ottawa charities.
- Winner of three National Magazine Gold Awards for sports journalism, and two Silvers.
- Winner of three Ontario Newspaper Awards for column writing; runner-up for a National Newspaper Award. He has won 10 Dunlop Awards in column writing for Sun Media.
- Inducted into Algonquin College's Media And Design Hall Of Fame for lifetime achievement in 2010.
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