Gordon Lightfoot, legendary Canadian folk singer-songwriter, dead at 84

One of his first gigs was at Fran’s Restaurant, a downtown family-owned diner that warmed to his folk sensibilities. It was there he met fellow musician Ronnie Hawkins, who urged him to take his music to more suitable places, such as nearby Steele’s Tavern.

Audiences were starting to gather in growing numbers and by the next year, Lightfoot’s song “I’m Not Sayin”’ was a hit in Canada, which helped spread his name in the United States. In 1971, he made his first appearance on the Billboard chart with “If You Could Read My Mind,” a reflection on a failing marriage likened to “an old-time movie about a ghost from a wishing well.” It reached No. 5 and has since spawned scores of covers.

“I had a good wife and two great kids, but the business just ate me up. The women ate me up. I wasn’t able to resist. I can now, but not then. And then it was alcohol, and there’s no greater catalyst to getting into further than drinking.” He resented being painted as a drug user, saying he dated Smith more than a decade earlier, long before her hard drug use. But he also felt an obligation to help her get back on her feet. He gave her money after her jail sentence ended in 1988 and made the publishing connections for her memoir.

In 1986, he was inducted into the Canadian Recording Industry Hall of Fame, now the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He received the Governor General’s Award in 1997 and was ushered into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001.Article content A minor stroke that hit in 2006 made it difficult for him to use his right hand while playing guitar for a short while.Article contentIn early 2010, Lightfoot learned of his own death when the CanWest newspaper chain splashed the false headline across some of their websites. The media company picked up on social media buzz that was eventually traced back to a prank call made to the management office of late singer and friend Ronnie Hawkins.

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Iconic Canadian Folk Music Star Gordon Lightfoot Dies At 84Legendary Canadian folk music star Gordon Lightfoot has died at age 84. His cause of death was not immediately available, however the “Early Morning Rain” singer passed away at a Toronto hospital on Monday evening. ET Canada takes a look back on some of his greatest moments.
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Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Music Icon, Dies At 84A native of Orillia, Ont., Lightfoot topped music charts with classic songs including 'If You Could Read My Mind' and 'Sundown' and his career spanned decades.
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Gordon Lightfoot, legendary Canadian folk singer-songwriter, dead at 84Lightfoot\u0027s popularity peaked in the mid\u002D1970s when both his single and album \u0027Sundown\u0027 topped Billboard
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