The Ontario city of Orillia is mourning hometown legend Gordon Lightfoot, saying the famous folk musician had an immense impact on the community and beyond.
Lightfoot died of natural causes at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital on Monday at 84.
Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac said Lightfoot was highly regarded in the city.
“His homecoming concerts at the Orillia Opera House and appearances at the Mariposa Folk Festival have always been celebrated by Orillians as they welcomed him home,” the mayor wrote in a statement.
“Many of us who knew him will remember his soft-spoken demeanor, generous personality and infectious laugh.”
There are reminders of Lightfoot throughout Orillia, McIsaac said, noting that the singer’s name graces a city auditorium stage and a trail, while a bust of him sits at the Orillia Opera House and a bronze sculpture honouring him stands in a city park.
“His deep roots in our city are woven into the fabric of Orillia,” McIsaac said.
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“Our community is mourning together along with the rest of the world.”
The city has lowered its flags to half-mast, the mayor said. Books of condolences for the music icon are available at the Orillia Opera House and Orillia City Centre.
Lightfoot was born in Orillia in 1938, sang in a church choir as a boy and dreamed of becoming a jazz musician.
He later emerged from Toronto’s Yorkville folk club scene in the 1960s, and went on to record more than 20 studio albums and hundreds of songs, including Early Morning Rain, Carefree Highway and Sundown.
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