The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82, a message on his official Facebook page announced on Thursday evening.
“It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away,” the statement said. “We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries.”
The message added that there will be a memorial in Los Angeles at a later date to celebrate the singer’s life and work. There was no information on the cause of death.
In a separate post, Cohen’s label, Sony Music, wrote: “Leonard Cohen was an unparalleled artist whose stunning body of original work has been embraced by generations of fans and artists alike.
“We are proud and feel extremely privileged to have celebrated his artistry over a career spanning six decades. The Sony Music Canada family joins the world in mourning Leonard Cohen’s passing.”
Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, tweeted that the artist’s work “resonated across generations.”
No other artist’s music felt or sounded like Leonard Cohen’s. Yet his work resonated across generations. Canada and the world will miss him.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 11, 2016
The hugely influential artist, who released his 14th studio album just last month, had a musical career spanning more than 45 years.
Cohen broke into the music business in the late 1960s when he was in his mid-30s, though by that time the Canadian was already an acclaimed poet.
His unique brand of folk-rock – melancholic and moody and sung with a voice as gravelly as it was distinctive – earned him a loyal following around the world. An abundance of big-name artists, among them U2, Sting, REM, and Johnny Cash, were drawn to his work throughout the decades and covered many of his tracks.
Indeed, it was a 1994 cover by Jeff Buckley of the legendary singer’s mid-80s Hallelujah song that served to increase Cohen’s profile among a new generation of fans who at the time knew little of the Quebec-born artist.
In a New Yorker interview published just a few weeks ago, Cohen said that although he was still working, he was more recently feeling “deep fatigue” and even revealed he was “ready to die.” For his fans, news of his passing will be met with great sadness and grief, but the artist leaves an exceptional body of work that will be praised and enjoyed for many years to come.
