A Yukon legend has passed on, but his legacy of music will reverberate for years to come.

Joe Loutchan, 82, was being fondly remembered Thursday and today by hundreds of fans from across the territory.

He was renowned as one of the greatest traditional fiddlers in Canada, one whose playing longevity almost boggles the mind.

Tributes are pouring in from all around the North at the news of his passing.

A brief biography of him on Facebook from a few years ago presents an excellent starting point of his colourful life.

“Joe Loutchan’s distinctive Old Tyme sound comes from his roots in the Canadian prairies,” it reads.

“Born in southern Manitoba, he began playing fiddle at the age of 14. Within three years Joe had a band of his own and was playing weekend dances around Winnipeg.

“Quickly his prowess on the fiddle was recognized, and shortly there after, he began his own radio show playing 30 minutes a week on CKSB Saint Boniface.

“In the Yukon he has since become known as the ‘Fiddler on the Loose.’ His talent has led him to play in Mexico, Texas, Seattle and Disneyland’s 25th anniversary in California. 

“He has been invited to play in several CBC True North Concerts, on the steps of Parliament on Canada Day, for the Governor General at Fort Selkirk and for Prime Minister Mulroney in Whitehorse.”

Up until the end, he was continuing to play Thursday nights at the 98 Hotel, former owner Eva Stehelin said in an interview with the Star.

She said she first met Loutchan when she was in her 20s, as he played the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous.

“I remember he played about 36 hours straight,” she said. “He was incredible.”

“He started at the hotel when he was 40, and he’s 83 now, so he played at the 98 for 43 years,” she said. “I remember him best playing at the 98.”

That stamina was one of the signature things people remembered about Loutchan.

“He used to go to Inuvik and play 24 hours straight,” said Mark Prins, a fan of Loutchan. “He would wear out the band.”

If you know anything about how fiddle music is played in the Beaufort Delta area, you’ll know that was a staggering accomplishment.

Kevin Barr, a long-time friend of Loutchan’s, said this morning, “People are crushed.”

He found out about the loss of his friend on Thursday when the media began calling.

“I met him the first day I arrived in the Yukon,” said Barr, who’s been here for more than 30 years.

“I wasn’t in town for even 12 hours when someone said, ‘you have to meet this guy.’”

Barr said he came from a fiddling background, as his father played.

“I grew up with fiddlers,” he said. “Joe came over and we played all night and we’re still going about nine in the morning.

“That’s how I was used to doing it. You’d play until you done playing.”

Barr described Loutchan as a “man’s man.”

“He was handsome, and he loved the bush and the mountains. He trapped and spent a lot of time in the bush. He was a down-to-earth guy who never flaunted anything.”

Barr said he hadn’t received any details on a funeral service as yet. He said the family would need time to gather and to grieve.

The COVID-19 pandemic will make holding a proper service difficult, Barr noted.

“A lot of people are reeling over this,” he said. “People loved Joe and his music.”

Prins said Loutchan had such an extensive knowledge and ear for music he could identify which of the Beaufort Delta communities a song or a player originated from just by listening to a few snippets. Each community has its own distinctive sound, he would say.

Both Prins and Stehelin remembered a colourful story about Loutchan. At one time, he worked as an outfitting guide, but he wasn’t very good on a horse.

“Sometimes music doesn’t pay the bills,” Prins said.

On one of his first trips, he fell and broke both wrists. That didn’t stop him from playing for long, though. Within a couple of weeks, he was back playing the fiddle.

Stehelin said he developed an unorthodox style of using his bow as a result of the injury, which was also one of his signatures.

“His music was known for its clarity,” she said. “He was extremely well-known, all across Canada.”

Every fiddle player coming to Whitehorse would make a pilgrimage to the 98 Hotel on Thursdays to hear him, both Prins and Stehelin said. An 80th birthday celebration for Loutchan was held there in late 2018.

“He was the head of the fiddle world in Canada,” Prins said. “He played traditional fiddle music of a kind you won’t find anywhere else.

“He was a very plain spoken, down to earth man,” he added. “He could play pretty much anything. He played music, plain and simple.”

Prins and Stehelin remembered some of the players Loutchan recruited for his band.

“He had some pretty amazing players,” they said.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell is also counted among the fans of Loutchan.

“The Yukon has lost a gentleman legend with the passing of Joe Loutchan,” said in an emailed statement.

“Despite his immense talent, that could have taken him anywhere, Joe stayed here with us, providing colourful invigorating entertainment, and giving us joy for over half a century. 

“He was not just a Yukon treasure, but a national one, having played for everyone from a prime minister, a governor general and generations of Yukoners and visitors.”

 As with Prins and Stehelin, Bagnell said he was captivated by more than Loutchan’s prodigious talents.

What inspired me most about Joe was his humility,” Bagnell said.

“I was so moved that he would refuse to enter fiddle contests that he would obviously win, so that others could reap the trophies and prizes.

“This is truly a sad day for the Yukon.”