Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot, one of the country’s “folk” legends, died Monday at the age of 84 in a Toronto hospital, according to his publicist. In April, Lightfoot canceled concerts he had planned for this year due to health problems, although he did not provide details about his situation.
Artists like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Barbra Streisand, Eric Clapton, Olivia Newton-John or Jerry Lee Lewis have performed some of the more than 500 songs he wrote.
Embodied the essence of the country
In Canada, Lightfoot is considered one of the artists who best embodied the essence of the country in his songs, from its climate to its landscape, passing through its inhabitants. After learning of his death, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that Canada “has lost one of its main singer-songwriters.”
Inspiring future generations
“Gordon Lightfoot captured the spirit of our country in his music, helping to shape Canada’s soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations and may his legacy live on forever,” Trudeau added.
Lightfoot released his first album, “Lightfoot!”, in 1966 after working in the US and UK and building a reputation as a songwriter.The album, which earned him recognition in both Canada and the United States, contains some of his most popular songs, such as For Lovin’ Me and Early Morning Rain, which was covered by Presley and Dylan, among others.
Dylan, who has been a friend of the Canadian artist for close to 60 years, went so far as to say of Lightfoot: “Every time I hear a song by him, it’s like I wish it would last forever.”
After the publication of his first album, Lightfoot toured Canada, the United States and Australia while publishing new albums with very diverse themes, including “Don Quixote” (1972), his eighth album, in reference to the character of the writer. Miguel de Cervantes.
In the 1980s, after years of alcohol abuse and after being convicted of drunk driving, Lightfoot changed his lifestyle and revitalized his career with the album “Salute” (1983).His last album, his twenty-first, was “Beginnings”, in 2021.
