TORONTO (AP) - Gordon Lightfoot, the legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died Monday. He was 84.
Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital. His cause of death was not immediately available.
Considered one of the most renowned voices to emerge from Toronto’s Yorkville folk club scene in the 1960s, Lightfoot recorded 20 studio albums and penned hundreds of songs, including “Carefree Highway,” “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
In the 1970s, Lightfoot garnered five Grammy nominations, three platinum records and nine gold records for albums and singles. He performed in well over 1,500 concerts and recorded 500 songs.
He toured late into his life. Just last month he canceled upcoming U.S. and Canadian shows, citing health issues.
“We have lost one of our greatest singer-songwriters,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “Gordon Lightfoot captured our country’s spirit in his music – and in doing so, he helped shape Canada’s soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever.”
Once called a “rare talent” by Bob Dylan, Lightfoot has been covered by dozens of artists, including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, Anne Murray, Jane’s Addiction and Sarah McLachlan.
Most of his songs are deeply autobiographical with lyrics that probe his own experiences in a frank manner and explore issues surrounding the Canadian national identity. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” depicted the construction of the railway.
“I simply write the songs about where I am and where I’m from,” he once said. “I take situations and write poems about them.”
Lightfoot’s music had a style all its own. “It’s not country, not folk, not rock,” he said in a 2000 interview. Yet it has strains of all three.
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” for instance, is a haunting tribute to the 29 men who died in the 1975 sinking of the ship in Lake Superior during a storm.
While Lightfoot’s parents recognized his musical talents early, he didn’t set out to become a renowned balladeer.
In 1971, he made his first appearance on the Billboard chart with “If You Could Read My Mind.” It reached No. 5 and has since spawned scores of covers.
Lightfoot’s popularity peaked in the mid-1970s when both his single and album, “Sundown,” topped the Billboard charts, his first and only time doing so.
Gordon Lightfoot performs during the evening ceremonies of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, in Ottawa, Ontario, on July 1, 2017. The legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - Gordon Lightfoot poses for a photo as he attends “LIGHTHEADED: A Gordon Lightfoot State of Mind” at The Eglinton Grand in Toronto, March 17, 2022. Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits include â??Early Morning Rainâ? and â??The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, a representative of his family said. He was 84. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, strums backstage at the Westbury Music Fair on Sept. 8, 1987, in Westbury, N.Y. Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits include â??Early Morning Rainâ? and â??The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, a representative of his family said. He was 84. (AP Photo/Cyrena Chang, File)
FILE - Gordon Lightfoot performs during the half-time show at the CFL Grey Cup championship football game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders on Nov. 25, 2012, in Toronto. Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits include â??Early Morning Rainâ? and â??The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, a representative of his family said. He was 84. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - Gordon Lightfoot speaks with other artists at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Dec. 3, 2003, in Toronto. Canada's legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits include â??Early Morning Rainâ? and â??The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, a representative of his family said. He was 84. (Tobin Grimshaw/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian music legend Gordon Lightfoot celebrates the unveiling of his star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto on Nov. 12, 1998. Lightfoot, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Kevin Frayer/The Canadian Press via AP)
Legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot performs his classic hits at the McPherson Playhouse in Victoria, British Columbia, on Oct. 23, 2017. Lightfoot, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is pictured at his Toronto home on April 12, 2012. Lightfoot, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian musician Gordon Lightfoot poses for a photo in his Toronto home on April 25, 2019. The legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP)
Gordon Lightfoot poses for a photo in his Toronto home ahead of a series of North American tour dates on Aug. 3, 2016. The legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/The Canadian Press via AP)