The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has died aged 84. The musician was most famed for hits like ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ and ‘Sundown’. According to spokesperson Victoria Lord, he died at approximately 7:30pm on May 1st from natural causes at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.
The news comes just under a month since Lightfoot cancelled his 2023 tour of the US and Canada, which was scheduled to begin on April 11th. At the time, “health-related issues” were cited in the cancellation post on Facebook, but the severity of the illness wasn’t divulged.
“We have lost one of our greatest singer-songwriters. 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,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted.
Lightfoot broke through on the US Billboard charts in 1970 with his early signature hit, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’. For that song, Lightfoot also earned his second of four Grammy nominations. ‘If You Could Read My Mind’ was nominated in the best male vocal performance category. Hear below.
In 1976, Lightfoot lifted the bar higher still with ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’, a ballad about the capsising of a cargo ship on the Great Lakes. The track surged to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.
