Orillia’s Gordon Lightfoot Dies At Age 84
Canada has lost a musical legend
He was born in Orillia, kept his home and family close to his heart
Singer, and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, known for hits like The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald, and ‘If you could read my mind,’ has died.
Just recently the musical legend cancelled his North American tour dates due to “health issues.”
HIGH LIGHTS:
Elvis recorded one of his songs, Early Morning Rain
1974: Lightfoot releases “Sundown,” his only album to go to No. 1 in the U.S.
1986: Lightfoot is inducted into the Canadian Recording Industry Hall of Fame.
2001: Lightfoot is inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
2003: Lightfoot is made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
2012: Lightfoot is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
2018: Ahead of Massey Hall closing for major renovations, Lightfoot plays three concerts to bid the venue a temporary farewell.
November 2021: Less than 10 days after his 83rd birthday, the refreshed Massey Hall opens with a three-night Lightfoot engagement that includes his 170th show at the Toronto venue.
December 2021: The singer-songwriter kicks off an extended North American tour that runs through much of 2022.
April 2023: Representatives for Lightfoot announce he’s cancelling all tour dates in 2023 due to unspecified “health-related issues.”
The publicist would only say he died of natural causes at Sunnybrook Hospital.
Lightfoot’s family released an official statement late Monday night.
“It is with profound sadness that we confirm that Gordon Meredith Lightfoot has passed away. 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.”
