Tattoo celebrates 37 fire victims of downtown Blue Bird Cafe blaze

 Richard Lajoie has a tattoo memorial to the 37 victims of the Blue Bird Cafe fire that he can never forget.
  The victims of the 1972 blaze included his 18-year-old brother Rejean, three years his senior.

 This year I offered myself a gift. I proudly wear this story on my arm. I wear every angel and every one of you on my arm forever..37 stars and one big one for the survivors...a kind of blue for the boys and kind of red for the girls..and different color for each age. So you never leave my thoughts and I am happy.

Lajoie

   Coolopolis has occasionally mentioned the tragic stories of those who
perished in that fire. In about 1998 I wrote an article urging the city to create a downtown monument remembering the victims. The campaign was later taken up by survivors and turned into a lovely remembrance in Phillips Square.
   One of those stars represents Eddie Crevier, who played drums in Don Curly and The Dudes, who were doing their songs there that night. The band continued on with a different drummer and played various country music songs around town.

 See also:

• How the Blue Bird Cafe fire changed Montreal
• Scenes from one of Montreal's biggest tragedies
• Bluebird Cafe fire - a list of victims