Saskatchewan·NewFamily, friends, fans and Indigenous leaders are mourning the deaths of two members of the Saskatchewan family band Constant Reminder. The young brothers were killed in a collision near Melfort, Sask., Thursday evening.Seth Constant, 31, and Rene Constant, 24, were part of close-knit James Smith Cree Nation familyLaura Sciarpelletti · CBC News · Posted: Oct 12, 2025 2:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes agoSeth Constant, left, and Rene Constant, right, died in a collision on Oct. 9. (Constant Reminder/Facebook)Family, friends, fans and Indigenous leaders are mourning the deaths of two members of the Saskatchewan family band Constant Reminder, who were killed in a crash Thursday evening.RCMP said that at approximately 6 p.m. Thursday, a truck and an SUV collided on Highway 3, about two kilometres west of Melfort — which is located 95 kilometres southeast of Prince Albert.The truck’s driver, 31-year-old Seth Constant, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 24-year-old Rene Constant, died later in hospital. Mounties have identified the SUV driver as a 59-year-old man from Kinistino, 30 kilometres northwest of Melfort. He died at the scene. Seth, who played lead guitar, and Rene, who played drums, were in the band Constant Reminder with their other two brothers Dantin and Ethan Constant. The group has 22k followers on Facebook. The band Constant Reminder was made up of brothers Seth, Dantin, Ethan and Rene Constant of James Smith Cree Nation. (Constant Reminder/Facebook)In addition to Dantin and Ethan, the two brothers who died Thursday are survived by mother Karen, father Luther, and sister Tianna Constant. The family are members of James Smith Cree Nation. Olivia McLeod, partner to Rene Constant, said he was everything to her. They each have two children from former partners. MacLeod said Constant accepted her children as his own. “If I could write a book about him, I would,” she said, as her voice broke. “He was a great partner. He was a great father. He was a great musician. He was a great singer. He was great at everything that he’d done. And he even made me great.”Their love story began on Aug. 17, 2024, at the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Centre on Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba where Constant Reminder performed. McLeod said she and Rene “just clicked right away.”Rene Constant and Olivia McLeod built a home together with their children in Melfort, Sask. McLeod said he was a gentleman, soft-spoken and a great father. (Submitted by Olivia McLeod)“What struck me was how much of a gentleman he was. The way he talked, he talked like a real gentleman,” said McLeod through tears.After having a long-distance relationship in which McLeod would visit Rene at a James Smith Cree Nation reserve on Treaty 6 territory often, she relocated to Saskatchewan from Manitoba at the beginning of March. The couple made a home together in Melfort. Seth and Rene were ‘best friends’McLeod describes Seth and Rene as best friends who spent a lot of time together playing and listening to music, laughing and cracking jokes.Oftentimes they were joined by their father and musical mentor Luther Constant. McLeod said Luther and his sons had an “amazing relationship,” and Seth and Rene were close with their two other brothers and bandmates Ethan and Dantin and as well. McLeod said the close-knit Constant family made her feel like one of them. “They’re very humble and they’re great people.”Both McLeod and Rene were passionate about music and bonded immediately. In fact, McLeod performed at a talent show the day before she met the man who would call her “my lovely” until his tragic death on Thursday.Three of the four members of brother band Constant Reminder. Left to right: Seth, Rene and Dantin Constant. Not pictured: Ethan Constant. (Constant Reminder/Facebook)McLeod said Lost Together by Blue Rodeo is her and Rene’s song, which she will always hold dear to her heart. She said Seth, Rene, Ethan and Dantin brought down the house wherever they performed as Constant Reminder and audiences loved them.As she mourns the loss of her beloved partner, McLeod said she is surrounded by Rene and Seth’s relatives, whom she describes as “just a big great family. So loving and caring.”Brother’s legacies As for Rene and Seth’s short lives, McLeod said she is committed to keeping their legacies alive. “I want people to remember them, never to forget them.”Lorena Kelly, executive director of SaskMusic, said Seth and Rene Constant, along with their brothers Ethan and Dantin Constant, were an inspiration to many musicians. (Germain Wilson/CBC)Lorena Kelly, executive director of SaskMusic, said in a statement to CBC Friday that the non-profit organization is “shocked and saddened by the tragic and untimely loss of the two members of the music community.” “These talented, hardworking and passionate musicians were an inspiration to many aspiring artists, and they achieved a well-deserved fan following through countless live shows and numerous releases,” Kelly said. “Their passing marks a huge loss for their home community as well as the SaskMusic community at large. Our condolences go out to their family and friends.”They ‘carried our Nation’s spirit’: ChiefIn a press statement released Friday, the office of James Smith Cree Nation’s Chief Kirby Constant said the nation is “deeply saddened” to learn of the “tragic passing” of two of its community membered, and called the band Constant Reminder “beloved.””These talented young men carried our Nation’s spirit with pride through their music, inspiring many across our lands and beyond,” said Chief Kirby Constant in the statement.”Their songs celebrated resilience, family, and identity, values that are deeply rooted in who we are as Cree people. Their loss is felt not only by their families but by all who knew them, heard them perform, and were moved by the gift of their music.”Chief Kirby Constant said the nation extends its “heartfelt” condolences to the families, friends, and fans of “these gifted artists.” He said Seth and Rene’s legacy will “live on through their music and the memories they created for all of us.” Kirby Constant, Chief of James Smith Cree Nation, says Seth and Rene Constant ‘carried the nation’s spirit with pride through their music, inspiring many across their lands and beyond.’ (Don Somers/CBC)Melfort RCMP said they continue to investigate the crash that killed the two young musicians and the driver of the SUV with the assistance of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist. The funeral for Seth and Rene Constant is set to take place Tuesday at the school gym on James Smith Cree Nation. ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura is a journalist, radio host and newsreader at CBC Saskatchewan. She previously worked at CBC Vancouver, CBC Toronto and The Globe and Mail. She has also guest reported on the BBC World Service. Laura specializes in human interest, arts and health care coverage. She holds a Master of Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia. Send Laura news tips at laura.sciarpelletti@cbc.caWith files from Jeffery Tram
Members of beloved Sask. brother band Constant Reminder dead at ages 24 and 31
