R.I.P.: Dave Bookman, Toronto Music Personality

Dave Bookman

Toronto radio personality Dave (Bookie) Bookman, a champion of Canada's indie music scene known for his quick-witted interviews and encyclopedic knowledge of the industry, died Monday at 58.

According to CTV News, Bookman suffered a brain aneurysm, said Megan Bingley, general manager of CIND Indie88, the Toronto FM station where Bookman most recently worked.

Listeners and musicians shared tributes to the bushy-haired host on social media, pointing out his influence at various stations, including over two decades at Toronto's rock pillar 102.1 The Edge. There he interviewed Coldplay as they were just rising to fame and frequently reconnected with Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters.

Bookman dedicated much of his life to the airwaves. Some of his earliest days were spent at University of Toronto campus station CIUT-FM, where he co-hosted "High and Outside" on weekday mornings before taking the reins on his own long-form interview program "Don't Look Back" in 1989.

Dave Bidini, a band member of Rheostatics and his co-host on "High and Outside," said Bookman was a "proud Jew" who eagerly introduced him to many aspects of the culture. Bookman was also a resilient professional raised by a father who was a gunner in the Second World War.

"All the Bookmans are so wonderful and full of heart, but they're pretty tough too, in their own right," Bidini said.

Bidini credited his friend as a "pioneer of modern radio" for his early adoption of mixing sports and music conversations into the same program.