Alexis Mazurin (April 18, 1978 – October 20, 2005) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

comedian and radio personality, best known as one of the original hosts of ''

CBC Radio 3 CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music. The service, which la ...

''. Born in

Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District, the city encompasses a total area of about with 21,465 residents recorded in the 2021 Census. Located ...

, Mazurin grew up in

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

, and later studied journalism at the

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main cam ...

. He subsequently joined CBC Radio, hosting the series ''

Pass the Mic "Pass the Mic" is the first single from the third studio album '' Check Your Head'' by American rap group the Beastie Boys, released on April 7, 1992. Sampling lawsuit In 2003, Beastie Boys were involved in the landmark sampling decision, ''New ...

'' and '' Out There'' before joining CBC Radio 3 in 2003. (At the time, CBC Radio 3 did not exist in its current form as a

satellite radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than te ...

network, but was a program on

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

.) While attending

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

in September 2005, Mazurin suffered a massive

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. He was rushed to hospital in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, where he fell into a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

. He was transferred to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

's St. Paul's Hospital, where he remained in the coma until his death a month later. Mazurin was also a writer and performer with the Vancouver comedy troupe the Hot Sauce Posse,Malcolm Parry, "Marco spins discs with best of them". ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

'', December 14, 2002. and was a practitioner of the

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

. With CBC Radio 3's launch on satellite radio in December 2005, the network's main studio in Vancouver was named the Alexis Mazurin Studio in his memory. The Vancouver Foundation supports The Alexis Mazurin Award, administered by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in its Broadcast Journalism course: "...the Alexis Mazurin Award supports first year students who demonstrate excellence in audio documentary."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazurin, Alexis 1978 births 2005 deaths Black Canadian broadcasters CBC Radio hosts Comedians from British Columbia People from Fort St. John, British Columbia People from Penticton British Columbia Institute of Technology alumni 21st-century Canadian comedians Black Canadian comedians