Getty What is Gordon Lightfoot's cause of death?
Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian folk singer and songwriter whose ballads captured Canada’s “spirit,” has died at the age of 84.
Lightfoot’s cause of death was “natural causes,” his publicist told Reuters. He died in a hospital in Toronto, Canada, Reuters reported, on May 1, 2023. She was not more specific; however Lightfoot had suffered years of health issues.
He died on Monday evening, according to CBC.
“He is our poet laureate, he is our iconic singer-songwriter,” Rush singer Geddy Lee said in the 2019 documentary “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind,” according to CBC.
“We have 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,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on May 1, 2023.
“May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever. To his family, friends, and many fans across the country and around the world: I’m keeping you in my thoughts at this difficult time,” Trudeau wrote.
Lightfoot was known for songs like “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Sundown,” and “Carefree Highway.” He also wrote songs turned into hits by other singers, such as “Early Morning Rain.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Gordon Lightfoot Suffered a Ruptured Aorta, a Minor Stroke & Fractured Wrist Throughout His Life
GettyGordon Lightfoot performs during “Live 8 Canada” on July 2, 2005 in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The free concert is one of ten simultaneous international gigs including Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Barrie, Tokyo, Cornwall, Moscow and Johannesburg.
According to Reuters, Lightfoot had suffered severe health challenges for years.
For example, in 2002, he “collapsed from severe stomach pain before a concert in his hometown of Orilla, Ontario,” Reuters reported, and it was discovered that he had a ruptured aorta in his abdomen.
That scare resulted in “weeks of hospitalization and multiple operations,” Reuters reported.
According to CFJC Today, he was in a coma during that incident, and it took him more than two years to recover.
Four years later, he suffered a minor stroke, making it difficult to play guitar with his right hand. He continued touring, “helped by a strict workout regimen,” CFJC Today reported.
In 2021, Lightfoot fractured his wrist during a fall at his home, resulting in postponed touring dates, according to CTV News. But he was soon back on the road.
Gordon Lightfoot Was the Subject of a Death Hoax in 2010
Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot performing on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, London, 1973. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)
In 2010, Lightfoot was victim to a highly publicized death hoax.
“I was quite surprised to hear it myself driving in… to my office,” he told CP24. “I haven’t had so much airplay for weeks.”
Canadian newspapers reported his demise, but it turned out that Lightfoot had just left the dentist, according to CP24.
Lightfoot said then to CP24: “I’m fine. Everything is good. We’re doing Casino Rama in March. We have an opening there and numerous other things. We are starting a tour at the end of the month.” He would live another 13 years.
In 2012, Lightfoot told CTV News, “I’m fully prepared to go whenever I’m taken. I’ve been almost dead a couple times, once almost for real … I have more incentive to continue now because I feel I’m on borrowed time, in terms of age.”
“I’ve got lots of shining examples of people out there who can keep up the pace. And I’d like to be one of those people,” he told the network.
In that interview, he commented, “It’s not over yet. I’m just wondering who’s going to win. Is it going to be the Grim Reaper or my story?”
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