Paul Philip Hann passed away peacefully on October 30th, 2025, in Victoria, BC, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s with Lewy body.
Born in West Wickham, England, on July 7, 1948, to Anne and Philip, Paul taught himself the 12-string guitar as a teenager. At 18 years old, he moved to Canada looking for “a bit of adventure,” with a plan to work as a lumberjack or an oil rigger. Instead, he ended up working in a department store in Edmonton and playing music for fun in coffee houses and pubs.
Within a few years, he’d built a thriving music career and become known as the ‘Cockney Cowboy.’ He released five studio albums, mostly via Stony Plain Records, with his first, A Fine White Thread, earning him a Juno nomination for most promising male artist in 1974.
In 1976, he met Cathy Crump. Two years later, they got married and they went on to have two children. Now a father, Paul noticed an untapped market for children’s music while out on tour and started writing hits like Snyder the Spider, Brand New Boogaloo Zoo and Bartholomew the Bat. Paul had found his calling. He went on to record 8 children’s albums, earning another Juno nomination in the process. He starred in eight seasons of his TV show ‘Paul Hann & Friends,’ produced for CFRN in Edmonton and aired nationally on CTV and YTV, and performed with symphonies across Canada.
Paul eschewed the norms of the day with a cheeky sense of humour.
“A lot of kids’ songs say, get up with a smile today/make your bed and brush your teeth/talk nicely to your parents/oh look at the sun it’s so lovely shining in your room,” he told the Edmonton Journal in 1984. “I don’t feel it’s my responsibility to stand up there and tell them how to behave.”
Paul was more than just a star up on stage though. He also worked directly with thousands of children, running songwriting workshops as an artist-in-residence in B.C. and Alberta schools. “There’s nothing finer than the sound of children’s laughter,” Paul once told a newspaper reporter.
If writing and performing children’s music was his professional calling, being a father was his personal one. Paul tested out his songs on his beloved children, Michael and Emily, and they made guest appearances on his TV show, album covers and even live on stage with him. He taught them to sing, sail and how to play guitar, but most of all how to live life on their own terms.
Paul built himself a life doing the things he loved with people he loved. He was generous, gregarious and always up for an adventure. While living in Edmonton, he earned his pilot’s licence. After moving to Victoria in 1985, Paul took up sailing, joined the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and sailed up and down Vancouver Island regularly. After he sold his boat, Paul got into cycling and would crank out 70-kilometre rides in his sixties. In 2015, Paul travelled to Antarctica with his son Michael and completed a true polar plunge.
Paul played his final show at the Calgary Folk Club on April 15, 2017, alongside his son Michael. The following spring he received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease with Lewy body, a degenerative brain disease that quickly robbed him of his ability to play guitar. Paul fought back with all his might, taking up boxing and weightlifting to slow the progression of the disease.
Paul held his first grandchild last Christmas and was surrounded by her laughter in his final days. Paul is survived by his brother Jonathan, sister Elizabeth, children Michael (Emma) and Emily (Sean) and granddaughter Mollie.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Victoria in the spring. If you are interested in attending, please fill out this form, where you can also share memories with his family.
The family wish to thank the loving friends, doctors, nurses and care aids who cared for Paul over the last several years, especially Dr. Joshua Budlovsky.
In lieu of flowers, go outside and take a deep breath of the fresh air, crank your favourite Paul Hann tune, hug your loved ones and set out on an adventure. And always remember, Life Is A Bowl Of Strawberries.
26 Responses
To the Hann Family,
I just now learned of Paul’s departure and was shocked by the news. I met Paul only once when I was eight years old (in 1989) but I remember it like it was yesterday. He travelled to Ontario and performed a concert at the elementary school in my village of Creemore. Exhibiting the kindness and humor he was known for, the audience was captivated and enjoyed every moment (the songs “Singing in the Kitchen”, “This-a-way, That-a-way,” and “Meatballs and Spaghetti” really stand out). Following the concert, many attendees wanted to have words with him, but I was so taken by his warmth and charm, I was among the last to remain because I couldn’t stop talking to him. In retrospect, this is quite impressive because I have moderate Cerebral Palsy and use a walker to navigate most places, yet Paul appeared oblivious to it and spoke to me as if I were completely normal. I discussed the glorious visit for months afterward, to the point where some people grew weary of it; I recounted the experience in a home-made book, and savored his album “Burney the Bow-legged Bloodhound” for years.
It is unfortunate Paul battled such a terrible condition later in life, but may you find comfort knowing he left an indelible mark on so many people.
Warmest wishes!
I am just hearing about Paul’s passing now, my sincere condolences to his family. I first met Paul I think in 1970. Although I didn’t know him well, I think about him and his kind personality often. I bought his old Guild 6 string guitar that he sold to buy a 12 string. I still have that guitar, I really love it and still play from time to time and think of his wonderful humor when I do.
My deepest condolences to Paul’s family. I met Paul on a wet night in Woodinville, Washington as we waited for the fireworks to start on July fourth. My family loved his music so much that we frequently went to his concerts. I was so inspired by his love for children, that I made him a lollipop tree for his grandkids. His music became a part of my elementary science classroom and the hippo song was my students’ favorite. Thank you, Paul for the music and the love. Again my deepest condolences to his family.
Paul’s CD’s were always favorites on our summer road trips, and not only for the kids.
We still play them sometimes in our old minivan, the only CD player we have left.
We’ll miss you, Uncle Po.
My condolences to Paul’s family. I knew Paul very briefly over the winter of 1968-69 when we both worked at the Woodward’s Department Store food floor at the Westmount Shopping Centre in Edmonton. This must have been shortly after he arrived in Canada. I remember he took every opportunity to perform with his guitar for the store customers at occasions like Christmas, with a steady stream of people walking by, between the main store and the shops in the mall. I followed his career after he moved to the coast, one or two Edmonton winters can make that an attractive move! So sorry for your loss, but good memories too.
Paul aways made me smile. I remember him coming to the elementary school I worked at, and being embraced by 300 kids excited to sing with him. He brought so much energy and happiness with him every time he entered our lives! What a Gem!