Legendary Canadian folk singer-songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot, passed away on Monday, May 1st of natural causes at the age of 84.
Victoria Lord, a representative for the family, said the musician behind classic Canadian ballads "Early Morning Rain" and "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" died at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He had suffered numerous health issues in recent decades, and recently cancelled his 2023 live appearances.
Producer / songwriter / educator Rick Beato, who recently conducted interviews with Marty Friedman, Kiko Loureiro, Steve Lukather and more via his popular YouTube channel, has shared his May 2nd livestream tribute to Gordon Lightfoot. Check it out below.
Canadian music icon Neil Young paid tribute to Lightfoot via his official website with the following message:
"I just spoke to Gordon a few weeks back and he sounded happy, although he had cancelled some shows and was re-organizing his touring. I was saddened when I learned today of his passing.
Gordon was a great Canadian artist. A songwriter without parallel. His melodies and words were an inspiration to all writers who listened to his music, as they will continue to be through the ages. There is a unique and wonderful feeling to Gordon’s music. Lightfoot is a Canadian legend.
His song just came up today by itself on the Hearse Schedule.
PEACE Gordon. Love, Neil."
Rush frontman Geddy Lee, who appeared alongside bandmate Alex Lifeson in the 2019 documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, took to Instagram to pay tribute to Lightfoot.
Says Geddy: "The first time we met was outside a local award show at a club in Toronto - a legendary poet, a songwriting inspiration - a gem of a man - I loved him. He used to bring his daughter who was a fan, to our shows, and he’d sit with her in the audience getting blasted with volume for three hours - a few months back he phoned me out of the blue, for no other reason than to say he’d just watched one of our concert films and really loved it. Every time I ran into him the first thing he would ask was how many gigs we’d done that year - he’d then proudly counter with the fact that he had played even more! RIP Gord - you are the man - the greatest Canadian."
