Classic Rock Star John McGale Dies in Car Crash

John McGale, a member of the Montreal blues rock band Offenbach, died in a single-car crash on his birthday, Oct. 30. He was 66. Bloc Notes Music president Diane Pinet said she was “in a state of shock” and “devastated” after learning of McGale’s death.

McGale died in Lacolle, Quebec, near the border with New York, reports CTV News. The Surete du Quebec (SQ) received a call about a single-car crash at about 2:45 a.m. the day of the accident. There was no one else in the car. Later that day, McGale died from his injuries.

“We were supposed to have dinner this summer and listen to his new songs,” Pinet, whose publishing company represented McGale, told the Montreal Gazette. “He had many new projects coming. I was in a state of shock when I heard. I’m devastated. My heart is broken. I still can’t get it into my head that he’s no longer with us – that he won’t drop by the office or call me between two shows. My heart is just so heavy.”

McGale joined Offenbach in 1978 as a singer and guitarist and wrote several songs for the band. Their first album with McGale, Traversion, was their biggest commercial success and is considered their defining record. McGale co-wrote half the songs on Traversion, including some with Pierre Huet. The lyricist compared McGale’s influence on Offenbach to that of Lindsey Buckingham’s on Fleetwood Mac.

“His music was very catchy, very melodic. There were choruses with real hooks. To be crass, he made Offenbach more commercial with his melodic guitar lines. He was very inventive. He brought a sense of melody to Offenbach’s heavy rock,” Huet told the Gazette. “Everyone agrees that Traversion is Offenbach’s best album, and John had a lot to do with that. He really changed the band.”

Offenbach split in 1985, so McGale moved on with the Buzz Band. He also released a solo album and recorded with several major Quebec musicians. In 1996, Offenbach reunited, and McGale always joined the band whenever they toured.

Offenbach drummer Michael Landry shared a heartbreaking tribute to McGale on Oct. 31, calling the guitarist his “mentor” and friend. “Thank you for your wisdom, your laughter, your stupid puns, your mangled French expressions that have become a part of my vocabulary, your friendship, your tutelage, but most importantly, thank you for your trust in me all these years,” Landry wrote on Facebook. “And from the fans, your friends, and most of all me… thank you for the music and the memories. You may be gone, but nothing will ever take that away.”