Legendary folk singer Gordon Lightfoot, best known in English Canada for his poetic ballads inspired by the country’s natural beauty, died Monday at the age of 84.
The composer, who leaves a catalog of more than 500 songs, died in a Toronto hospital, Victoria Lord, a family representative, told various media outlets. The cause of death was not specified.
Born in 1938 in Orillia, Ontario, Gordon Lightfoot had an interest in music since childhood and began composing ballads in high school, but his career didn’t really take off until the mid-’60s and the song “Early Morning Rain,” which was covered by major stars became like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.
His love of Canadian landscapes was beautifully summed up in the 1967 song “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” which takes anyone who listens to it on a coast-to-coast journey.
Gordon Lightfoot, who has devoted himself to music, has never let his health issues hold him back, even in 2002 when he was critically ill, in a coma for a month and a half and undergoing multiple surgeries. The singer also suffered a stroke on stage in 2006, only to return just nine days later to put on a show as if nothing had happened.
The masterful work of Gordon Lightfoot allowed him to multiply the awards and rewards, in particular by dominating the Juno Prize ceremonies in the ’60s and ’70s in the folk category. He was also made a Companion of the Order of Canada.