VANCOUVER (CelebrityAccess) Susan Jacks, who, with her husband Terry Jacks, was a member of the recording group, The Poppy Family, died from kidney disease on Monday (April 25). She was 73.
Jacks was born Susan Pesklevits into a family of eight children in Saskatoon and moved to British Columbia when she was 9. She got her start at the age of 15, appearing on the Canadian TV show Music Hop. In 1967, at the age of 19, she married Terry Jacks – after asking him to accompany her on guitar for an upcoming appearance. They began performing under the moniker Powerline and recruited Craig McCaw for lead guitar. They eventually changed the name to The Poppy Family, and Satwant Singh joined the group on tablas.
Their song, “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?,” written by Terry, was a hit in the US and UK, reaching No 1 on the Cash Box chart and No. 2 on the Billboard chart. The group continued recording with other top ten singles in Canada.
The Poppy Family name was dropped in 1972, and Jacks went on to record solo albums. Jacks and Terry split in 1973. Her first solo effort, I Thought of You Again, was released in 1973 and earned her a JUNO nomination for Canadian Female Vocalist of the Year. She received JUNO nominations for her singles, “Anna Marie,” “All the Tea in China,” and “Another Woman’s Man.” Jacks was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in June 2010.
She met Canadian Football League player Ted Dushinski in 1980. They married, moved to Nashville, and had a son. In 2004, Jacks and her family relocated back to Canada after Dushinski was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away 2005. Once back in Canada, Jacks received her diagnosis of kidney disease and received a transplant from her brother Billy in 2010.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Ted Dushinski, and is survived by her son, Thad.
Terry and others posted to social media upon news of her death.
