Fraser Holmes, guitarist, remembered in song after cancer battle

A guitar playerfrom the Ottawa Valley who died after an eight-month battle with cancerwas honoured this weekend by his family and friends with a musical celebration of his life.

Hundreds of people people packed into RenfrewArmories on Sunday afternoon for a special concert to rememberFraser Holmes, a 28-year-old from Renfrew, Ont., who died on New Year's Eve.

"This is what he wanted. He didn't want people going through a wake or through a line up; he wanted people to listen to a song, share a story and have a drink with him," said Alex Holmes, Fraser's brother, who helped organize the celebration.

"It just reminds us again, although we've lost Fraser, he's a part of all these people who are here. And his memory will just go on through these people, through music, and sharing in this experience."

Fraser Holmes spent 2 years touring with Ottawa singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaumeand played guitar on several Juno Award-nominated albums.

Rheaume saidHolmeswas a dear friend with drive and alot of natural talent, who made a good companion travelling about 30,000 kilometres of Canada's roads and highways.

"He was one of the best touring companions ever. ... He would always find the good in everything. He would always find the positive in some of the worst scenarios that we'd find ourselves in. We would just laugh, it kind of didn't matter what else was going on around us," Rheaume said Sunday.