PORTLAND, Ore. -- Leaders in the Portland music world are mourning the death of a beloved musician and producer, Tim Ellis.
Ellis died Monday night from melanoma, skin cancer.
His death is another reminder to all of us to watch for warning signs.
Cancer specialist Dr. Norm Willis says those most likely to develop the cancer suffered bad sunburns as children.
“And fair skinned, red heads, blonds, blue eyed people are more susceptible to the bad sunburns and more susceptible to melanomas than others,” Dr. Willis said.
He said it is also important to monitor moles that develop on your skin.
“These things change. So if you have a mole that’s changing in size, shape or color, or its bleeding easily or its something that’s come up you didn’t notice before – those are the types of things you should have somebody take a look at,” he said.
Tim Ellis grew up in Los Angeles and always wanted to play music. By the age of 15 he was giving others guitar lessons and by 22 he was touring with bands.
In the mid 1980s he moved to Portland, started a family and kept making music.
Dorcas Smith, who sings professionally with her sisters in a group called The Brown Sisters, started working with Ellis 10 years ago. She knew he was special right away.
“You know he's gonna do his part, with excellence and it’s going to be amazing and you never have to worry about it turning out,” she said.
Two years ago, Ellis developed skin cancer but his doctors and he attacked it and it seemed to go away. But in December of 2015 it came back with a lethal vengeance.
By the time the musician noticed it was too late.
Now, those who worked with and loved Tim Ellis are left reeling.
“He just left a big hole. Hole in our hearts, and hole in the community. Because he was just one of the most awesome persons that I've come across,” said Smith.
Dr. Willis agrees. He’s not just a cancer specialist. He’s also a guitar player and close friend of Tim Ellis.
He burst into tears when asked about the loss. It took a few moments for him to be able to speak.
“Those of us who were his friends and caught up in his sphere of influence – just always treasured that time with him,” Dr. Willis said.
“And unfortunately, this is one of those watershed moments in life where you can never go back. I mean, we’ve lost him. And we have to be happy with the time we had. And yet, it wasn’t enough,” said Dr. Willis.