There are undoubtedly many Saskatoon homes with at least one Sailor Dan original. Sailor Dan was known across Saskatoon for standing on busy Saskatoon streets selling his detailed drawings of boats. Sailor Dan has passed away.

Daniel James Hicks was 65 years old and Drew Wilby with the Ministry of Justice confirms that he died in hospital Tuesday morning at 2:30 a.m. after being transferred to St. Paul’s from the Saskatoon Correctional Centre. Foul play is not suspected nor is an overdose of any kind.

The Saskatoon Police Service says they had received enquiries about his passing but it wasn’t their call to service so they didn’t feel it was their right to share.   But the Police Service did share this:

” As many have already expressed, Dan was a regular fixture on Saskatoon streets. Many of our officers, especially our beat officers, saw him frequently. We’ve seen testaments about the dignity and respect that he was often treated with and we hope it serves as a reminder of the importance of how we treat people and how it makes a difference.

When we moved in to our Headquarters building, Cst. Derek Chesney commissioned Dan to draw one of his infamous ships. Dan even customized it to our Service, and it now proudly hangs in the Community Room.

As Cst. Chesney so eloquently wrote on Twitter yesterday: “May you have a brand new pen and a fresh piece of paper.” R.I.P. Sailor Dan.”