(Toronto) Gordon Lightfoot, the legendary folk singer whose choirs spoke of Canadian identity, has died at the age of 84.
Posted 9:57pm Updated 9:57pm
Family representative Victoria Lord announced that the musician behind the Canadian classic ballads “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” passed away in a Toronto hospital on Monday night.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
A native of Orillia, Ontario, he was one of the most prominent voices on the Yorkville, Toronto folk club scene in the 1960s, recording no fewer than 20 studio albums featuring songs such as If You Could Read My Mind and Sundown.
Described as a “rare talent” by Bob Dylan, Lightfoot’s compositions have been covered by dozens of artists, including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand and Sarah McLachlan.
Most of his songs are deeply autobiographical, with lyrics that explore issues of national identity while exploring personal conflicts.
Lightfoot made his radio debut in 1962 with the song (Remember Me) I’m the One.
He became a household name in 1965 when I’m Not Sayin’ climbed the charts in Canada and helped him become popular in the United States.
When the folk music boom ended in the late 1960s, Lightfoot turned to pop music.
In 1971, he made his Billboard chart debut with If You Could Read My Mind, a lyrical reflection on his failed marriage. This song peaked at number five and has since spawned numerous covers.
His 1975 song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald chronicles the sinking of a freighter in the Great Lakes, and his 1966 Canadian Railroad Trilogy depicts the construction of the railroad.
Lightfoot’s popularity peaked in the mid-1970s when his single and album Sundown topped the Billboard charts for the first and only time.
He received 12 Juno Awards during his career, including one in 1970 when the award was called the Gold Leaf. He was nominated for four Grammys, made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1970, and promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2003.
In 1986 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In 2002 he suffered an aortic aneurysm and then fell into a coma. He then has to undergo surgery and a rehabilitation period that he says will last two and a half years.
In 2006, a slight stroke prevented him from playing the guitar with his right hand for a short time.
Despite this, he continued touring, aided by a rigorous training schedule.
Continuing his life on tour, he finished 2016 with an amazing schedule of around 80 tour dates.
Lightfoot has continued to perform on stage despite other health issues, including a fall at home in 2021 that forced him to postpone performances.
Just four months later, he’s back on stage for a three-day engagement at the reopening of Toronto’s refurbished Massey Hall, the start of another tour that spanned much of the year.