Homeless Edmonton piano player who gained fame from viral video dies at 46
EDMONTON — A Edmonton homeless man whose spontaneous piano performance was viewed on the internet by millions of people has died.
Ryan Arcand, 46, died last weekend in a supportive housing complex where he had been living for a few months, said Jared Tkachuk, an outreach manager at Boyle Street Community Services.
He said Arcand struggled with a developmental disability, trauma and mental illness and used alcohol, drugs and the piano to cope.
“He was quite proud of his talent and I think he was happy that it got acknowledged because that’s so rare for people who are marginalized,” said Tkachuk.