Canadian musicians and music fans are mourning the loss of Gordon Lightfoot.
Lightfoot died at a Toronto hospital Monday evening, said Victoria Lord, the musician’s publicist. A statement from his official Facebook page says he died of natural causes at the age of 84.
Known for his songs, “The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald”, “Sundown” and “If You could Read My Mind”, among others, Lightfoot is known to many as being Canada’s greatest songwriter.
Darrin O’Grady, a co-owner of Vinyl Diner Records in Saskatoon says Lightfoot’s music reminds him of his childhood.
“I grew up with Gordon Lightfoot, mom and dad always had the record playing,” says O’Grady. “He’s a great Canadian singer-songwriter who is sadly going to be missed.”
News of Lightfoot’s death also had effects on visitors to the Vinyl Diner. ” There’s definitely more foot traffic, a lot of conversations,” said O’Grady.
Kennie Marco was a part of the band Motherlode. He crossed paths with Lightfoot at an airport in Toronto.
Although brief, Marco says he was happy to meet him.
“It’s an honour to have been in the same business as him at the same time.”
Although Marco wasn’t a ‘fan’ of Lightfoot, he admired his work from afar.
“It’s a sad thing for Canada here today. To lose this kind of talent, its hard to replace people like him,” Marco added.
Both Darrin and Kennie join Canadians in the love for Lightfoot’s storytelling.
“He’s a storyteller and he’s a musician and he was able to couple them both together and it worked,” says Marco. “‘The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald’, that song will bring a tear to your eye,” added O’Grady.