'Sailor' Dan Hicks, cantankerous Saskatoon icon, dead at 65

Sailor Dan's ship has sailed.

Dan Hicks, the itinerant and sometimes irritable Saskatoon man whose drawings of a navy ship and colourful personality made him an instantly-recognizable street figure, has died at the age of 65, according to a Facebook post. 

"Uncle 'Sailor Dan' passed away a few hours ago," Taylor Dawn wrote on her Facebook page Tuesday morning. "We are thankful that we were with him and are incredibly grateful for the staff at St. Paul's [Hospital]."

His death was also confirmed by Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice. Hicks had been on remand at Saskatoon Correctional Centre.

He died at St. Paul's in Saskatoon at about 2:30 am CST Tuesday, said Drew Wilby, a ministry spokesperson.  

"Foul play is not suspected nor is an overdose of any kind," Wilby said.

Hicks became well-known in Saskatoon for his trademark and oft-repeated drawing of a sailboat. On the other hand, his aggressive panhandling often brought him into contact with beat cops. Communications staff even referred to him as "Sailor Dan" on the police scanner.

'A lot of people have a lot of opinions on him'

According to a 2011 profile from The Sheaf — the University of Saskatchewan's student newspaper — Hicks dropped out of school and joined the Canadian Navy, where he served for two years.

After struggling to make a living, Hicks began selling drawings of his sailboat, which gradually became well-known enough to even inspire a clothing line at Saskatoon's Alchemy Clothing and Salon five years ago. 

"He's kind of a Saskatoon icon," said Alchemy owner Melissa Squire on Tuesday. "Most people from Saskatoon and surrounding areas know who he is or of him and have seen him in places around town selling his picture of his ship."

• Crossing Paths with Sailor Dan: A photo exhibit of Saskatoon's local legend

While acknowledging that "a lot of people have a lot of opinions on him," Squire said she found him to be generous during the time she worked with him.

"He would literally give you the shirt off his back and the shoes off his feet. He had his mental health issues for sure but he was very nice."

Drawing proceeds to address mental health

Hicks struggled to find housing, Squire said. The last time she talked to him, he spoke of going to The Lighthouse supported living shelter.

Hicks continued to collect royalties from the sales of his Alchemy tie-ins, Squire said.

In the wake of Hicks' death, Squire said those proceeds will now go to an as-yet-undermined organization devoted to raising awareness about mental health issues. 

Hicks' death immediately sparked remembrances from his patrons on social media.

"[My daughter] has three of his drawings and would find him whenever in the city," wrote Darina Boucher DeForest on Facebook. "RIP Sailor Dan."