Nov. 22: Haydain Neale lead singer for Jacksoul died on this date in 2009.

He was 39 when he died from lung cancer. 

Born on September 3, 1970, Haydain Neale was a Canadian singer–songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario. He was best known as the lead singer of Juno Award-winning band, Jacksoul. Neale also served on the faculty of the Humber College Summer Songwriting Workshop and as president of the Songwriters Association of Canada.

Jacksoul was one of Canada’s most successful contemporary soul groups, with a string of hits that included 'Can’t Stop' and "Still Believe in Love." The group won the Juno Award for R&B/soul recording of the year twice, in 2001 and 2007.

Haydain, whose vocal style was compared to Seal, also received an Urban Music Award for songwriter of the year in 2004 and a SOCAN award in 2005. 

Neale was involved in a traffic accident in Toronto on August 3, 2007, and was sent to hospital, after a car collided with his Vespa scooter. He was reported to be in a critical condition. On August 18, 2007, it was reported that Neale had been in a coma since the accident occurred. (The 27-year-old driver of the car was charged with making an unsafe turn.) 

On October 1, jacksoul's official webpage announced that Neale was recovering and remained in hospital. Another posting on January 8, 2008 confirmed that his condition had continued to improve.  Neale spent more than two years recovering from the accident.

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After a long and slow recovery and on top of that, battling cancer, he just managed to finish their new album, Soulmate, co-produced by himself and Ron Lopata. The album he started almost three years ago,

On October 26, 2009, Jacksoul's official website announced that the group would be releasing their first album in over three years.

On November 22, 2009,  Haydain Neale died of lung cancer at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. In a released statement, Neale's wife Michaela said "Through all these challenges, Haydain's sense of humour and love of music were ever-present. He constantly brightened the room with his singing and his smile. His joyful presence and beautiful voice will be missed by us all."

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The album, SOULmate, was released in December  2009 only days after Haydain's death. It contains 10 new songs written before Neale's accident. All profits from the album go to the Haydain Neale Family Trust.