The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie was adamant about not becoming a hologram before his death.
Downie, who passed away from brain cancer on October 17, 2017 at the age of 53, discussed the idea with his bandmates in 2016 after a hologram company that specialized in digital versions of deceased entertainers approached the band about the possibility.
"Gord was sharp enough that he was the same Gord," guitarist Paul Langlois told the Canadian Press. "And he was just like, 'Are you kidding me? No chance.'”
A number of high profile celebrities have been resurrected on stage in front of a live audience following their death, including Whitney Houston, 2Pac, Michael Jackson, and Amy Winehouse. In 2022, ABBA - whose members are all still alive - used the technology to put together a performance to promote their new album, Voyage.
While speaking to the press about the band's upcoming four-part docuseries, The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, which makes its premiere at TIFF next month, Langlois reiterated the band's firm stance on hologram technology has not changed.
"It’ll be 1,000 'No's' if it’s anything like that," Langlois said. "We would all be on the same page in the future."
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal will make its premiere on September 5 at the Toronto International Film Festival, streaming shortly after on Prime Video.