Celebrity deaths in 2023: Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk-rock legend

Gordon Lightfoot died in Toronto on May 1st, 2023, at the age of 84. Three weeks prior to his death, he was forced to cancel scheduled concerts due to health issues.

His musical talent became apparent to his mother when Lightfoot was a young boy. His mother nurtured his musicality and taught him how to perform. He gained experience singing in the church choir, performing in his home town, and singing on the local radio station. He performed at Toronto’s Massey Hall for the first time at the age of 12 when he won a singing competition.

Following music studies in Toronto, Lightfoot moved to Los Angeles at the age of 20. He continued to study music with a focus on jazz composition. He returned to Canada two years later and focused on his passion for folk music.

Many musical artists have enjoyed much success due to covering Lightfoot’s songs across six decades.

Lightfoot has cited Pete Seeger and Ian and Sylvia Tyson as some of his musical influences. The admiration was mutual because in 1965, Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded ‘Early Morning Rain,’ one of Lightfoot’s most famous songs, for their album.

He was married to his first wife, Brita Olaisson, from 1963 to 1973. His popular song, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’ was written about the dissolution of the couple’s marriage due to Lightfoot’s infidelity while touring. Gordon and Brita shared two children.

While the couple never married, their relationship in the early 1970s overlapped with his first marriage. Cathy was an occasional back-up singer, groupie, and drug dealer who inspired Lightfoot to write ‘Rainy Day People’ and ‘Sundown,’ both of which earned commercial success.

Lightfoot married his second wife, Elizabeth Moon, in 1989. The couple shared two children and were divorced in 2011 after a nine year separation.

Never abandoning the search for romantic love, Lightfoot married Kim Hasse in 2014 in Toronto. They were married until his death.

In 2002, Lightfoot was hospitalized due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He required emergency surgery and due to complications, remained in a coma for six weeks. His remaining tour dates were cancelled and he remained in hospital for three months before being able to return home.

On September 14th, 2006, Lightfoot had a stroke which caused him to temporarily lose function of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand. Despite this setback, he returned to performing only nine days later. By the following year, he had regained full function in his hand, allowing him to play guitar as he once had.

Following each of his health problems, Lightfoot worked to restore his health and resume writing new music and performing. He has released 21 studio albums, with ‘Solo’ being his last release in 2020.

Following the grand reopening of Toronto’s Massey Hall in 2021, Lightfoot played his 170th show at the venue. He was awarded the key to the city of Toronto at the event.

Over his career, Lightfoot has been the recipient of innumerable awards and accolades. He has won 19 Juno awards in Canada, and was nominated 5 times for a Grammy. In 2019, a documentary entitled, ‘Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind’ was released chronicling the life of Canada’s troubadour.

With a career spanning six decades, Gordon Lightfoot was arguably Canada’s most talented songwriter. His ability to use beautiful imagery to capture his thoughts on love, loss, and the human experience will be enjoyed for decades to come.

Lightfoot’s career has endured despite his many personal struggles and the passage of time. His resilience and commitment to his craft will be remembered and admired alongside his creative genius.