We live in a strange new world where you can be friendly with people you've never met. Shawn Hammond was a devout listener of Toronto Mike'd who tweeted at me often as @ledzephead, always with a thoughtful observation about an episode or simply to support me and what I do.
Here's a tweet from Shawn Hammond to me from last July.
@torontomike I love you, Man. We have the same birthday AND you are revealing the true stories that we always wanted to know in Ontario and Canadian media and Entertainment.
— Shawn Hammond Ⓥ (@ledzephead) July 29, 2021
Shawn mentioned that we share the same birthday, and I knew this because he'd always tweet at me on June 27th. Here's his Happy Birthday tweet to me from 2020.
@torontomike Happy Birthday Mike. As you know, we have the same birthday so I will never forget yours. Hope to meet you at a TMLS in the future.
— Shawn Hammond Ⓥ (@ledzephead) June 27, 2020
I thought it was strange when I didn't hear from him yesterday. After all, I did hear from him this past weekend. Here's his last tweet to me, on June 25, 2022, and it's about one of our favourite bands, The Tragically Hip.
@torontomike How many times have you listened to The Hip Live at the Roxy, so far? It’s beautiful.
— Shawn Hammond Ⓥ (@ledzephead) June 25, 2022
This morning, I received news that Shawn Hammond passed away on Sunday, the day before what would have been his 51st birthday. I'm gutted.
If Shawn's family is reading this, please know that I always looked forward to reading his thoughts and truly appreciated his support, particularly during these trying past few weeks.
Bullying continues beyond the schoolyard. Until someone stands up and puts THEM down, it never stops. Even then, they either become allies or find a weaker target. So sad.
— Shawn Hammond Ⓥ (@ledzephead) June 17, 2022
Shawn, a Q107 fan, was looking forward to episode 1071.
Our Birthdays. Will be GREAT to listen to, as always with a deep dive.
— Shawn Hammond Ⓥ (@ledzephead) June 12, 2022
My sincere condolences to all who knew and loved Shawn. I'm going to miss him.