Gordon Lightfoot Dead at 84

By Allison Schonter

Gordon Lightfoot, the legendary Canadian folk music singer/songwriter behind the hits "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Sundown," has died at 84. Lightfoot passed away of natural causes at 7:30 p.m. at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, his spokesperson, Victoria Lord, confirmed in a statement. Lightfoot's death comes less than a month after he was forced to cancel his 2023 US and Canada concert due to "health related issues."

"It is with profound sadness that we confirm that Gordon Meredith Lightfoot has passed away," an official statement read. "Gordon died peacefully on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He died of natural causes. He was 84 years old."

Born in Orillia, Ontario, Lightfoot's career in music began at an early age, with the singer performing on local radio and at regional music festivals throughout his childhood, per CBC. He was still in high school when, in 1955, he wrote his first song, "The Hula Hoop Song." Lightfoot relocated to Los Angeles after graduating high school and studied at the Westlake College of Music before returning to Canada in 1959, working a variety of jobs in Toronto, including serving as a choral performer, a dancer on CBC's Country Hoedown, and a folk singer in the Two Tones with Terry Whelan. He went on to become part of Toronto's burgeoning folk scene in the '60s after being inspired by the music of Bob Dylan and went on to develop his songwriting throughout the decade, releasing his first album, Lightfoot!, in 1966. What followed was an expansive, award-winning career that cemented Lightfoot's place as one of Canada's "greatest singer-songwriters."

Throughout his career, Lightfoot composed more than 200 songs, many of which were covered by some of the most famous musicians in the world, including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, and Barbra Streisand. Some of his biggest hits include "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "If You Could Read My Mind." Lightfoot earned five Grammy nominations during his career, and won the Canadian equivalent, the Juno award, 17 times. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.

News of his passing sparked a wave of tributes, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remembering him as "one of our greatest singer-songwriters." In a tweet, Trudeau added, "Gordon Lightfoot captured our country's spirit in his music – and in doing so, he helped shape Canada's soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever." Lightfoot is survived by his wife, Kim Hasse; his six children, Fred, Ingrid, Eric, Galen, Miles and Meredith; and several grandchildren.

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