Celebration of the life of Hamilton musician Gord Lewis scheduled for November 5 at the FirstOntario Center

A celebration of life for Hamilton musician Gord Lewis will be held Nov. 5 at the FirstOntario Center at 7 p.m. ET.

The event, which will be held almost two months after Lewis was found dead in his flat, will feature a number of artists and musical performances, offering a colorful mix of genres.

“That was one of the things Gord was interested in with his music, he was just trying to make people happy,” said Lou Molinaro, music producer and former venue owner of Hamilton This Ain’t Hollywood.

Molinaro helps organize the event with members of Lewis’s family.

These artists are expected to make an appearance:

• Colin MacDonald and Jack Syperek (The Trews).
• Luke Bentham (The Dirty Nothingness).
• John Kastner (Doughboys) & Scott McCullough (Doughboys & Rusty).
• Andy Curran.
• Mike Trebilcock of the Killjoys.
• Tim Gibbons.
• Chris Houston (Forgotten Rebels).
• Samy Squid.
• Greg Brisco.

Lewis was found dead in his Hamilton apartment on August 7. Her son, Jonathan Lewis, has been charged with second degree murder.

Lewis formed lifelong friendships with many artists after the creation of Teenage Head in the 1970s.

“He was a shy guy, however, he always had time to chat with everyone,” Molinaro said.

Brian Lewis, one of Gord’s six siblings, described his brother as “sweet, artistic, musically inspiring, loving and loyal”. Music publicist Eric Alper previously told CBC Hamilton that Lewis was one of the “first punks in this country”.

Tickets for the celebration of life are available here – each seat costs about $15. Proceeds after expenses will go to the Good Shepherd Center in Hamilton. “This [organization] is something very close to the Lewis family,” Molinaro said.

He plans to set up a separate donation link for fans and supporters so they can donate to the charity if they can’t make it to the celebration.

Molinaro said he and Lewis’ family wanted to celebrate him at the FirsOntario Centre, adding, “We all felt Gord deserved this.”

“It was a place where Teenage Head had never played in their lifetime…Having something like that means a lot and I think it’s just a really classy way to extend Gordie’s legacy. “