Charlie Panigoniak, Nunavut's ailing Inuktitut music legend, celebrated in his hometown

There wasn't an empty seat or a dry eye in Arviat's community hall on Tuesday night, as the entire town celebrated the work of legendary Nunavut musician Charlie Panigoniak.

In Nunavut, Panigoniak is a household name, with his Inuktitut songs serving as a soundtrack to the lives of a generation of Inuit.

The tribute concert and fundraiser was perhaps the last time Panigoniak will be able to take the stage. He's battling the late stages of Parkinson's disease, which he was diagnosed with in the early 2000s.

The organizers wanted to help the master musician raise enough money to assist with his medical bills and family obligations.

"His work is still around us every day," says John Main, one of the organizers of the concert.

"We still listen to his songs, and you know it's been like that for, I say, decades."

Panigoniak is considered the father of Inuktitut music. He paved the way for pop and country music to reach Inuit audiences in northern Canada.

Dancing and crying

The event included artists performing cover songs from Panigoniak's rich repertoire — songs that got everyone dancing and humming in the hall.

"It was highly charged and very emotional all night," says Lorna Panigoniak, his wife and musical partner since the late 1970s.

"Everyone can sing Charlie's songs and they did last night."

Lorna Panigoniak says despite the fact that both she and her husband are from Arviat, they have not performed in their hometown for years.

"To have Charlie play his possible last concert at home was very touching, there was a lot of crying," she said.

Panigoniak takes the stage

During the concert Charlie Panigoniak was sitting in the front row with Lorna. He was tapping his toes and occasionally wiping a tear away with a napkin.

The songs about his childhood were the ones that seemed to hit him the hardest.

It was unclear if Panigoniak was going to be well enough to perform — just making it to the concert was a struggle. There had already been two unsuccessful attempts to travel to Arviat from his home in Rankin Inlet.

But there was too much excitement in the crowded Mark Kalluak Hall to keep him away.

When Panigoniak finally took the stage, there was a hush over the crowd, and everyone leaned in to listen, unsure if he was going to speak or sing.

As Panigoniak broke the silence with a song, someone from the audience jumped on the stage waving a $20 bill.

That's when the mood changed. Jubilant audience members continued coming to the stage in waves, with money to support the musician.

For one of their icons, the community of Arviat really came together. All in all, the concert raised about $3,400 for Panigoniak.