David Cayley died on June 10, 2026. His heart stopped in the middle of singing a song called Red Clay Halo with some music friends, at home.
David was then 80 years old, having already lived a long life doing the work that engrossed him. Even so, his death was a heartbreaker. The text of the funeral service is here, and a snapshot photo collage of David is here.
In 2002, after David's friend and teacher Ivan Illich died, David presented a memorial broadcast, linked here. After David died, many messages came in about David's practice of friendship. David's closing words on behalf of Illich for the memorial broadcast at that time have some overlap with David's own life, and so they are quoted here:
"Fidelity to other persons was Ivan Illich's watchword throughout his life. It was the centre of his teaching and the centre of the way in which he tried to live. His work will now be carried on by those who had the good fortune to be his companions and to share his conversation. I know that I will always have him with me as the most surprising and touching of friends, a friend I would not have known how to wish for. I think it possible that the Church which rejected him will think better of him in future, and I believe that as the world grows darker, his flame will burn more brightly."
https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2026/07/in-memory-of-david-cayley/
https://www.lukewsavage.com/p/remembering-a-giant-of-canadian-radio?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
https://pca.st/episode/bdfbd2d5-5c0c-4717-badd-f817c2b882ca
https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/david-cayley-obituary?id=61795288