Almost everyone who met Gord Downie has a story about the special connection they felt with him.

For Bob Egan, there’s a tangible reminder of his connection to Downie: A Juno award.

Egan, who works at the Kitchener Public Library and is best known for his stint as Blue Rodeo’s pedal steel guitarist, recorded with the Tragically Hip on their 1998 album Phantom Power.

He performed on the song “Bobcaygeon,” which won a Juno Award for Single of the Year.

“Gord was an icon, but he was very down to earth,” Egan said Wednesday, after news of Downie’s death broke.

Like many people, Egan remembers Downie as someone who was “very caring and very personal.”

He recalls that Downie always seemed like “a regular guy hanging out backstage,” and was quick to make himself available to others.

“He was supportive of musicians at every level,” Egan said.

At Encore Records in downtown Kitchener, Mark Logan chose to remember Downie as a “great songwriter” and “great human being,” echoing Egan’s sentiments.

“He was probably one of the biggest rock stars in the country – yet, from what I hear about him, seemed to be just a regular person,” Logan said.

Logan noted that over the years, the conversation around the Tragically Hip changed from “how much the Hip rocked” to a greater appreciation of Downie as a songwriter and of how much work the band put into their music.

“He’s one of the greatest lyricists in the country, and it was nice (to have) people really recognizing that,” he said.

“If you want to put (his music) on and just listen to some great songs, it works that way – but if you want to dig a little deeper and explore some of the themes he was writing about, I think it comes back to you in a really positive way.”

Other people in our area shared their memories of Downie via social media:

With reporting by Brandon Rowe.