Quebecers know Karl Tremblay the singer by heart, but few know that he was also passionate about games, particularly board games.
The member of the Cowboys Fringants, who died on Wednesday following prostate cancer, was in fact co-owner of a fun pub under the Randolph banner, as well as a games store called Le Chevalier. Both are installed in an ancestral house located on the street in Repentigny. He was also co-owner of a video game studio, Triple Boris.
“Karl was very involved in leisure activities,” says his long-time friend, Richard Desjardins, co-owner and manager of the pub as well as the store. “He was a player. Video games, table games, baseball… it doesn’t matter. We were having a rock-paper-scissors tournament and he wanted to play! But he wasn’t competitive. He was not looking to win at all costs. »
During the pandemic, Karl Tremblay’s desire to play pushed him to take up disc golf. “It allowed him to continue playing outside, with friends,” says Richard Desjardins. “Karl never wanted to be the center of attention; he wanted to be like everyone else, continues the man who was a friend of Karl Tremblay for 32 years. He worked the bar at the pub from time to time, but he definitely had less energy to come in at the end. »
Joël Gagnon, publishing director at Randolph, also knew the colossus of the Cowboys Fringants well. “He was a leader who took care of his people. As soon as I met him, I knew that the prosperity of his region (Editor’s note: Repentigny and surrounding areas) was important to him. »
According to Richard Desjardins, Karl Tremblay was first and foremost a man of ideas. “He had 1,000 a day, 900 of which were bad, but when he had one good one, he could convince anyone. It was very hard to get this idea out of his head! He would have told me: “we’re going to open a bar in Alaska”, I would have followed him! »
The two men were also part of a group of Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast friends who had been meeting every Wednesday evening for 30 years. “He was always there unless he had a good reason. It’s going to be hard to continue without our big Karl. I don’t know how we’re going to do it… Next game will be tough. »