Paul Houde’s death: the Habs joins the outpouring of tributes to him

This afternoon, Quebec learned some very sad news: Paul Houde, well known in the province’s media world, sadly passed away at the age of 69.

The family, who made the announcement, saidhe died of complications following brain surgery. He passed away unexpectedly, but at least it was “very smooth”.

It is with a broken heart that I must announce the passing of my beloved brother Paul. He left us unexpectedly but gently, this Saturday morning, March 2, around 5:00. Thank you in advance for your thoughts. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy, dear friends.

– Pierre Houde (@PierreHoudeRDS) March 2, 2024

Obviously, it’s hard news when you consider his exceptional career, but Paul Houde was someone who was greatly appreciated by the public. Whether it was his 49 years on the radio, his presence on TV shows like Le Cercle, or his role as Fern in Les Boys, he reached out and touched a lot of people.

He was an extremely kind and sympathetic man, and was able to combine humor, sports and general knowledge with ease. For all these reasons (by no means an exhaustive list), Paul Houde endeared himself to the public.

And it’s no surprise that he’s been the recipient of a ton of tributes on social networks, not least from the Canadiens, who have taken the time to offer their condolences to the family, while paying tribute to his memory.

The Canadiens are saddened to learn of Paul Houde’s passing and wish to offer their most sincere condolences to his family, especially his brother Pierre. Above all, a man of exceptional quality, Paul was a monument of the Quebec media world. Our…

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) March 2, 2024

That said, the Habs weren’t the only ones to honor his life: we’ve been treated to a veritable shower of tributes since the sad announcement.

Here are just a few:

My deepest condolences to all the family and friends.

Paul was always A1 to everyone at @BPMSportsRadio. A great gentleman of great class left us this morning. https://t.co/eGVwmDG16K

– Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) March 2, 2024

The RDS family is saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Paul Houde. Our most sincere condolences go out to his brother, Pierre, as well as his entire family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/4rJbxioBOV

– RDS (@RDSca) March 2, 2024

BPM Sports is in mourning. It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of our friend Paul Houde at the age of 69. Paul was a great man in the business. Our sympathies to all his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/w6Q9DztAhZ

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) March 2, 2024

I’m so sorry…
Thank you for everything, Paul. What an honor and a pleasure it was to be with you in the studio, laughing together and listening to all those historical facts you remembered. A giant has left us.
Rest in peace, my friend. https://t.co/ipqCP8f0xZ

– Greg Lanctot (@datgregtho) March 2, 2024

“Today, the big club has decided to call you back. The Lord has made you a top draft pick. For you, the scoreboard has stopped at 69.

Farewell, Paul. You’re not dead. You’re in overtime.” pic.twitter.com/voq9pkjNcY

– Maxime Morin (@MaxMorinRDS) March 2, 2024

Pierre, my deepest condolences to you and your family. He left too soon. May he rest in peace.

One of the most easy to listen to voices that Québec radio has ever known. Extremely versatile and talented. He left us too early. Condolences to his family. May he RIP. https://t.co/9nzzODFLGV

– Tony Marinaro (@TonyMarinaro) March 2, 2024

My deepest condolences to all the family and people affected https://t.co/Xe5Gd6ivOX

– Georges Laraque (@GeorgesLaraque) March 2, 2024

My friend Paul,

Thank you for being part of my life. Fate took you away much too quickly.

My thoughts are with your wife, your family, your colleagues and all those who had the good fortune to meet you.

You will be sorely missed.

Give my regards to Yvon pic.twitter.com/xGb54XgGwP

– Sébastien Goulet (@SebGouletTVAS) March 2, 2024

I’m stunned! Paul Houde, my long-time colleague at 98.5, has passed away! What a loss for the media world. How he kept up with everything, I still don’t know. His knowledge of sports was unparalleled. I’m sad to see you go my friend pic.twitter.com/a1E70Mhr4L

– Jeremy Filosa (@JeremyFilosa) March 2, 2024

What a nice man in public and in private.
A longtime radio host, it was always fun to do an interview with him.
I have such funny memories of his exchanges with Marc Labrèche and his “Fern” character on Les Boys.
A fan of numbers, he was the…

– François Legault (@francoislegault) March 2, 2024

The DLC team would also like to offer its most sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Paul Houde, who was one of the most important people in the Quebec media world over the last half-century, thanks to his great class and immense kindness.

His person and his immense legacy will never be forgotten, far from it.