Arts & Entertainment

Canadian folk music legend Gordon Lightfoot dies at 84

Toronto, Canada, May 1 (EFE).- Canadian folk music legend Gordon Lightfoot, writer of hits such as “Sundown” and “If You Could Read My Mind,” died in hospital on Monday evening at the age of 84, according to his publicist.

In April, Lightfoot canceled concerts that he had planned for this year due to health issues, which were not elaborated on.

Artists such as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Barbra Streisand, Eric Clapton, Olivia Newton-John and Jerry Lee Lewis performed some of the more than 500 songs he wrote.

In Canada, Lightfoot is considered one of the artists who best embodied the essence of the country — from its climate to its landscape — in its songs.

Following news of his death, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that Canada “has 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,” Trudeau added.

Lightfoot released his first album “Lightfoot!” in 1966 after working in the United States and United Kingdom and building a reputation as a songwriter.

The album, which earned him recognition in both Canada and the US, contains some of his most popular songs, including “For Lovin’ Me” and “Early Mornin’ Rain,” which was covered by Presley and Dylan, among others.

Dylan, who was a friend of the Canadian artist for close to 60 years, once said of Lightfoot: “Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever.”

After his first album, Lightfoot toured Canada, the US and Australia while releasing new albums with very diverse themes, including “Don Quixote” (1972), his eighth album.

In the 1980s, after years of alcohol abuse, Lightfoot changed his lifestyle and revitalized his career with the album “Salute” (1983).

His last album, his 21st, was “Beginnings” in 2021. EFE

jcr/tw

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