TORONTO — Fans and colleagues descended on CBC headquarters Wednesday to pay their respects to TV star Chris Hyndman.
Hyndman, who starred on the daily lifestyle series "Steven and Chris" alongside partner Steven Sabados, died earlier this week at age 49.
A memorial was erected in CBC's spiralling atrium in Hyndman's honour, with a few bouquets of flowers scattered around a book of condolences.
Dozens of screens projected Hyndman's face and the words "in memory of."
Stella Waddington was a daily viewer of "Steven and Chris" and says she considers herself fortunate to have met the duo.
She was fundraising for a children's charity at a Loblaws supermarket when Hyndman and Sabados strolled by her booth.
"They were very warm, very sympathetic with the charity, and very giving," Waddington said after signing the guestbook.
"I was very impressed by both of them. And they were very handsome."
Lorraine Stevenson and a pair of co-workers walked over from their nearby office building to leave their condolences.
"My partner and I watched (his show) every day and just loved it," she said. "It was nice to see (the memorial) because I think he's touched so many people, both him and his partner.
"It's just so sad that he's no longer with us. That's life, I guess; these things happen and everyone needs to move on.
"We'll definitely miss him, that's for sure."
CBC reported Tuesday that Hyndman was found without vital signs late Monday in an alleyway just east of Toronto's downtown core. A Toronto Police spokeswoman would not confirm the report, citing privacy concerns and the fact there was no ongoing criminal investigation.
His sudden passing drew condolences from famous colleagues across the industry, including good friend Jeanne Beker who called Hyndman one of her closest friends.
"When my marriage broke up in 1998 Chris scraped me off the floor," an emotional Beker recounted by phone from New York on Tuesday.
"I was so extremely depressed, and he would come over to my house every night after the gym in his little baseball cap and a pizza under his arm and we'd sit there and he'd tell me how I had to go on living for my kids, for my girls who were just eight and 10 at the time. And he was just like my best friend, my closest confidant, certainly my closest guy friend."
Fellow design couple Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan said in an email to The Canadian Press that they were "beyond saddened" and could "hardly comprehend the news."
"Canada, and the design fraternity, has lost an integral part of its community," the Scottish decorators stated.
Along with Sabados, Hyndman brought everyday style to Canadians in a number of series, including their HGTV shows "Designer Guys" and "Design Rivals" and the makeover program "So Chic with Steven and Chris" on Slice.
