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Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot has passed away at the age of 84. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" artist died at a hospital in Toronto on the afternoon of May, 1st. An official death statement was posted on the late artist's Facebook page detailing an exact time, and cause of death.
"It is with profound sadness that we confirm that Gordon Meredith Lightfoot has passed away. Gordon died peacefully on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 730 p.m. at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He died of natural causes. He was 84 years old. He is survived by his wife Kim Hasse, six children– Fred, Ingrid, Eric, Galen, Miles and Meredith, as well as several grandchildren."
Lightfoot was born in Ontario, Canada on November 17, 1938. He rose to fame in the 1960's after years of performing with barbershop quartets. Not long after embarking on a solo career, he was discovered by fellow Canadian artists Ian & Sylvia who recorded two of his songs and introduced him to Peter, Paul and Mary's manager in the U.S.
The four-time Grammy nominated artist went on to record five albums amid touring throughout the remainder of the 60's. He signed with Warner Music Group in the 1970's where he would go on to record 14 albums including "Don Quixote, Old Dan's Records, Sundown, Cold On The Shoulder, Summertime Dream, and Endless Wire," to name a few. Many of Lightfoot's hits, including Billboard chart-topper "If You Could Read My Mind," went on to be covered by artists such as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Olivia Newton-John, Barbara Streisand, and more! He was inducted into the Canadian Recording Industry Hall of Fame in 1986, and seven of his albums went on to be certified gold in the U.S. as he continued to write and record music through the early 2000's. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.