A fire has destroyed the legendary Le Studio in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains.
The studio played host to a number of artists over the decades including Rush, David Bowie, The Police, Rainbow and Asia, with reports indicating that local fire crews believe the origins of the blaze appear to be suspicious.
Le Studio had fallen into disrepair and last year, drummer Richard Baxter launched a crowdfunding campaign to try to save the famous building but it fell short of its $800,000 target.
Le Studio founder Andre Perry tells the National Post that he’s not surprised at the news: “I did my mourning a long time ago because it’s been a really, really bad state for years and years now,” he said. “It was deteriorated in a way that it was evident that something like that was going to happen.”
Rush recorded a total of seven albums at Le Studio: Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Presto, Roll The Bones and Counterparts – and vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee issued a statement of behalf of the band upon hearing the news.
He says: “What Le Studio meant to us, is really hard to put into only a few sentences. It was not only a place where we did some of our best work, but we also experienced many profound personal moments there. To say nothing of the friendships that were forged there that still endure today.
“Le Studio played a key role in our album recording experience at a pivotal point in our career. We were already saddened to learn of its derelict state a few years ago, but upon hearing that it has now been destroyed by fire, it truly marks the end an age for the three of us.”
Rush also filmed the video for their classic track Tom Sawyer at Le Studio.
An investigation into the blaze is currently under way.
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