Country Singer Paul Dwayne Dead at 60

The singer was remembered as the 'gentleman of Acadian country.'

By Allison Schonter

Canadian country singer-songwriter Paul Dwayne has died. Dwayne, known as the "gentleman of Acadian country," passed away at the Campbellton Regional Hospital on Monday, Aug. 26, his family confirmed in an online obituary. The singer's cause of death is not known at this time, but his son James Després said his father had suffered from heart problems for many years, per Radio-Canada. Dwayne was 60.

Born Paul Després in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, in February 1964, Dwayne got his start in music when he was just 14, according to L'Acadie Nouvelle, initially performing in English before switching to French. After competing in the 1992 Bud Country Talent Search, where he finished in second, he went on to release his debut album Mon petit chenou in 1998. The album earned him nominations for Country Artist of the Year and Country Album of the Year at the 1999 FrancoFête.

Throughout a career that spanned nearly five decades, beginning in his teens, he would go on to release six more albums – 2000's Always Country and Ensemble pour toujours, 2001's Noël avec mes amis, 2003's Ma p'tite guitare, 2006's Je t'aime, and 2011's Mon Dodge Truck. Remembered as "the gentleman of Country music," Dwayne also shared the stage with numerous other artists, with singer Rhéal LeBlanc crediting the musician for having "paved the way" for other Acadian singers.

"A guy who helped me a lot in music is Paul Dwayne. He was a guy who was generous," LeBlanc said in a translated statement. "He had taken our CDs, we did our records, he put this on the radio there, then since 2005, I can tell you that even I myself had 350 festivals, then it was Paul Dwayne who paved the way for us."

Reflecting on Dwayne's passing, singer Hert LeBlanc called his death a heavy loss in the world of country music," with comedian Robert Gauvin remembering the musician as "an incredible artist who has shone in Acadia and beyond our borders. A whole loss for Acadia and New Brunswick as a whole."

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In his obituary, Dwayne's family noted that "he played music for 46 years with numerous musicians and great friends... Paul held dear to his heart all of his numerous fans, local and far, for all their support all through his music career."

The musician is survived by his wife Joanne and his son James.

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