By Globalnews Digital The Canadian Press
The bassist for a Winnipeg band and his partner are dead after a Canada Day crash on a Manitoba highway.
Indie pop band Royal Canoe says bass player Brendan Berg died in the crash a day before his 43rd birthday, along with Olivia Michalczuk.
RCMP say they responded to a head-on crash on Tuesday afternoon north of Swan River, in western Manitoba.
They say a southbound vehicle veered over the centre line and hit another vehicle that鈥檚 believed to have been parked, causing it to roll over.
Police say two men in the southbound vehicle suffered critical injuries, while a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old female passenger in the other vehicle died in hospital.
Royal Canoe said on social media that Berg鈥檚 death has left an 鈥渆normous and sudden hole in the lives of everyone who knew him.鈥
鈥淥ver the last 15 years of cross-country tours, late studio nights 鈥 through the high highs and low lows, Brendan鈥檚 relentless positivity, big smile, and considerate nature were a stabilizing and inspiring force for us,鈥 the band wrote.
鈥淗e was always the first to volunteer his time to pick up the trailer from the shop or load gear after tour. His generosity and selflessness were legendary.鈥
The band offered condolences to the families of Berg and Michalczuk.
鈥淥livia鈥檚 energy and enthusiasm brought out the best in Brendan, and her passing is equally as devastating to try to understand.鈥