Mary Lu Zahalan (25 October 1958 – 27 May 2023) 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 ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

singer and actress.Paul Benedetti
"Mary Lu Who? It's Zahalan and she knows where she's going"
''

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. ...

'', 8 October 1982. Born in

Renfrew Renfrew (; ; ) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former royal house, Renfrew gaine ...

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, and raised in Oakville, Zahalan was a Miss Canada finalist in 1975 before embarking on a career as an entertainer. She had entered the contest as a class project while taking a personal improvement class at

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, is a public polytechnic institute partnered with private Canadian College of Technology and Trades operating campuses ...

to overcome her shyness; what she ultimately took away from the competition was an interest in the theatrical production aspects of the experience, so she then enrolled in the college's

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

program. She released her debut album, ''Think of Me'', in 1982, and received a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

nomination for Most Promising Female Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1983. In 1985 she performed vocals on ''Visible'', the final album by rock band

CANO CANO, a Canadian progressive rock band of the 1970s and 1980s, was the most successful popular musical group in Franco-Ontarian history. Origins CANO evolved out of the ''Coopérative des artistes du Nouvel-Ontario'' (''Artists' Cooperative of N ...

, and toured with the band to promote the album."Bravo CANO! Local fans revel in revitalized band". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', 14 February 1985. In this era, she also had various acting roles in musical theatre.Greg Burliuk
"Popular Recordings: Zahalan"
''

Kingston Whig-Standard ''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published four days a week, on Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is currently owned by Postm ...

'', 22 December 1990. In 1990, she released the album ''Zahalan'' on MCA Records, and enjoyed moderate success with the single "I Can't Forget About You" on Canadian radio. She later returned to Sheridan College as a music teacher.Randy Boswell
"Canadian earns first Beatles degree"
''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'', 27 January 2011. She also had supporting roles in film and television, including in the television films '' Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story'' and '' Alley Cats Strike''. In January 2011, Zahalan graduated from

Liverpool Hope University Liverpool Hope University (abbreviated LHU) is a public university with campuses in Liverpool, England. ‌The university grew out of three Normal school#United Kingdom, teacher training colleges: Saint Katharine's College (originally Warring ...

with a master's degree in a program that studied

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. She was the first graduate of the program. She subsequently directed ''Becoming the Beatles'', a live musical documentary about the history of the Beatles. On 27 May 2023, Zahalan passed away from cancer at the age of 66.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Think of Me'' (1982) *''Zahalan'' (1990)

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahalan, Mary Lu 1958 births 2023 deaths Alumni of Liverpool Hope University Canadian television actresses Actresses from Oakville, Ontario Singers from Ontario People from Renfrew County Canadian women rock singers 20th-century Canadian women singers Canadian women pop singers Canadian musical theatre actresses Canadian musical theatre directors Sheridan College alumni Academic staff of Sheridan College