Is there a question you would like to ask Anne Murray?
Now’s your chance to email Anne (anne@annemurray.com) and ask her. Include “Anne Question” on the subject line of your email. We look forward to hearing from ‘inquiring fans’. If your question is selected we’ll post your question and Anne’s answer on this page.
All questions submitted may not be answered by Anne depending on subject matter and/or time constraints. We may re-write some of the questions to fit the format of this page.
One the most frequently asked questions for Anne is, “Are you really retired from singing? Surely you’ll do the occasional television special or concert!”
I will not sing again in public. I have retired from show business and that’s the end of that part of my life. That work is done, but I will continue with my charitable involvements.
You’ve always been a very private person. Was it really difficult to talk about some parts of your life in your book?
I had no trouble talking about anything on the professional side of my career. But I don’t think anyone wants to talk about divorce, personal shortcomings or failures in their personal life. I tried to be honest and forthright in telling my story, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone. So if I wrote about anyone, I sent them the chapter in which they were mentioned. My family took out a few details, but most of what really happened was left in.
There are so many charitable organizations that need help. How did you choose the ones to which you donate the most time and effort?
My decision to lend my support to Colon Cancer Canada was based on the fact that colon cancer is the number two cancer killer in North America (second to lung cancer); the number one preventable cancer with early detection; and the least talked about. I wanted to help raise the profile of colon cancer and importance of being tested. My good friend and manager of 25 years, Leonard Rambeau, succumbed to the disease, and my grandmother was a colon cancer survivor.
In 2009, I accepted an invitation to be one of several high-profile board members of the TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board (launched on March 31, 2009). It was an easy decision for me because the board allocates funding to innovative programs that involve worthy, non-profit organizations, particularly directed towards youth throughout Atlantic Canada.
Lending my name and financial support to The Anne Murray Centre in my hometown of Springhill, Nova Scotia, was another no-brainer for me. In 1989, I helped establish the centre to give a boost to the local economy. You should go there and check out the outfit I wore as a proud Canadian Olympic flagbearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. It’s gorgeous!
I also am a strong supporter of the Canadian Women’s Foundation because of their dedication to improving the lives of women and girls. I felt truly honoured to receive the first-ever Canadian Women’s Foundation Honorary Leadership Award in May 2010.
And, of course, everyone must have figured out by now that my passion for golf makes me an easy touch for charitable golf tournaments! I do consider each one carefully and am pleased with my 2010 choices, which included tournaments in support of Colon Cancer Canada, The Kids’ Help Phone – Halifax and the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute.