The Glenn Gould Foundation (GGF) has reported that Ray Roberts, a trusted friend and former assistant to Glenn Gould, has died of cancer at age 81.
Roberts passed away among friends and family in Peterborough, Ontario.
For over three decades, Roberts has served as an important source of information for Gould scholars, and served as a director to the Glenn Gould Foundation.
“He was always a voice of reason, gentle by nature, and always ready to bring a spirit of warmth, good sense and calm to the board table, even at tense moments,” writes a statement from the GGF on his passing.
Roberts started working with Gould in the 1970s, and stayed close to him through the end of his life.
“It was Ray who received the call from Glenn to come to the Inn on the Park the fateful night he suffered the stroke that ultimately felled him, and it was Ray whom he trusted to get him to the hospital while preserving his privacy and dignity.”
Beyond helping to maintain the enduring legacy of Gould, Roberts made his living in the insurance business.
Roberts leaves behind his wife, Cathy Roberts, and his three sons, Stephen, Gordon and Wayne.
In what would be his final interview before his death, Roberts spoke with Holly Harris for her feature, Glenn Gould: A Musician For Our Times, this past September 2020.
Our sincere condolences to his friends and family.
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