Composer and Musician Julien Gauthier Dragged from His Tent and Mauled to Death by a Bear

Photo: Julien Gauthier/facebook

Gauthier, 44, was dragged from his tent while he and his traveling companion Camille Toscani were sleeping near the Mackenzie River on Thursday, French outletLe Parisienreported.

The outlet also said that both a grizzly bear and black bear found in the areawere killed on Friday, and authorities will conduct necropsies to determine if either animal were involved in the fatal attack.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, encounters with bears in the area are not uncommon, but “fatalities are rare,” theCBC reported.

Gauthier’s friends and family said that it had been a childhood dream of his to explore the remote wilderness, and had been planning his adventure for three years. He had planned to use the experience as inspiration for anew music projectin collaboration with Toscani, a biologist, and a cellist.

Gauthier was also an associate artist at the Brittany Symphony Orchestra, which posted of his death in aFacebook poston Sunday.

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“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of our road companion, the composer and associate artist of the symphonic orchestra of Brittany, Julien Gauthier,” said Marc Feldman, a manager at the symphony.

“On a personal note, I am extremely happy to have known Julien,” Feldman added. “He brought me a sense of adventure, wonder and a rare intelligence. I’m gonna miss him terribly. We still had so much way to go together.”

On August 7, Gauthier posted anupdate on his trip to Facebook, saying that in the previous five days he and Toscani had gone three days without “having met soul who lives… apart from 4 Bears.”

source: people.com