‘Work was his life, his friends were his work’ - remembering Sault-born producer Robert Heaney (3 photos)

Family members and the music industry are mourning the death of Robert Heaney, a Sault Ste. Marie native who made his mark as a Juno nominated Montreal-based recording engineer and producer.  

Heaney, 61, died of a heart attack June 11 in Montreal.

Heaney, a Bawating Collegiate graduate, was originally a trained auto mechanic who worked at a Sault garage.

At 20, he traded that vocation to pursue his passion for music and moved to Montreal (a key place to be for those who love the arts) and went through training as a recording engineer and producer.

“He loved what he did,” said Margy Goldsborough, Heaney’s Sault-based sister, speaking to SooToday.

Heaney worked as a music engineer and producer with Academy Award-winning director/producer/screenwriter James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar), as well as many recording artists and orchestras around the world, including Canadians Corey Hart and Luba, throughout his career, Goldsborough said.

Heaney is best remembered for his work with Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based show which includes music, artistic gymnasts, dancers, singers and circus arts. It employs thousands, rakes in millions of dollars and entertains audiences worldwide as well as holding a permanent Las Vegas show.

“They kept taking him on because they knew he could do a good job,” Goldsborough said.

Heaney, who worked on many gold, platinum and triple platinum recording projects with artists in several genres, won several awards as Engineer of the Year from the Quebec Association for the Recording, Entertainment and Video Industries (ADISQ) and a Creative Excellence Award from Scotch 3M Brand.

He was nominated for a Juno Award as Sound Engineer of the Year for his work with Cirque du Soleil in 1995.

“He was quiet and humble and he loved his job. He would be there the whole time. As a family we said ‘you do what you have to do (the entertainment world being a tough, demanding one, those involved in it often having to grab work as it comes).’ Many times, at Christmas, he wouldn’t come home because artists would want to squeeze out a Christmas album,” Goldsborough said.  

“He was very kind and would go the extra mile and a half for anybody. He was a kind person. Everybody who knew him loved him,” Goldsborough said of Heaney, a separated father of one who inspired his daughter to become a music teacher.

“We went to the Junos with him. It was the coolest thing,” Goldsborough recalled.

Heaney travelled widely in the course of his work, including trips to Nashville, Las Vegas and the U.K., working in every genre from country to rock.

“Work was his life, and his friends were his work,” Goldsborough said.

“He was much loved. They (musicians he worked with) have said there’s a big hole in the music industry (due to Heaney’s death). He helped a lot of people.”

Goldsborough said Heaney’s musician friends hope to gather at Place Marguerite-Bourgeoys, a Montreal park, for a get-together and musical tribute to the producer Sunday, June 27 at 2 p.m. while keeping COVID-19 safety measures in mind.