Leonard Cohen Has Died, Aged 82
Legendary poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has passed away at the age of 82.
Cohen’s label, Sony Music Canada, confirmed the sad news via the singer’s Facebook page earlier today, saying:
We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries.
The Facebook page also said that there will be a memorial in Los Angeles at a later date, and that the family is requesting privacy now.
Cohen was extremely influential songwriter throughout the sixties and early seventies and continued his prolific career into his 80’s. In 2016, he released his final album, You Want It Darker, despite battling poor health. He was also offered a ‘Lifetime Achievement” Grammy in 2010, for his contribution to “outstanding artistic significance”.
Tributes have started pouring in through social media, celebrating his life and his impact on the arts:
Dear Leonard Cohen, thanks for the quiet nights, the reflection, the perspective, the wry smiles and the truth #towerofsong
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) November 11, 2016
Thank you Leonard Cohen ??
Swift rebirth my friend.— k.d. lang (@kdlang) November 11, 2016
"Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried, in my way, to be free."
-Leonard Cohen— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 11, 2016
"Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld.
So I….can sigh….eternally."~Kurt Cobain~
— J.R. Gillette (@JR_Gillette) November 11, 2016
"Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash."
Rest well, Leonard Cohen. pic.twitter.com/pumL2dkNuT
— Vintage Books & Anchor Books (@VintageAnchor) November 11, 2016
RIP Leonard Cohen. Wow. pic.twitter.com/YEhg8dYuvE
— Scott Hoying (@scotthoying) November 11, 2016
R.I.P. Leonard Cohen
????
— Onethony Milliono (@theneedledrop) November 11, 2016
2016 death list:
Alan Rickman
David Bowie
Gene Wilder
Caroline Aherne
Prince
Victoria Wood
Leonard Cohen
Muhammed Ali
BHS
Vine
America— Rhys James (@rhysjamesy) November 11, 2016
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in" -Leonard Cohen, a personal hero, we need you now, but I guess you had to go.
— Avan Jogia (@AvanJogia) November 11, 2016
Leonard Cohen dying is so goddamned symbolic right now. You just don't let up, do you 2016?
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) November 11, 2016
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah. RIP Leonard Cohen.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) November 11, 2016
We’ll be adding any further updates to this post – in the meantime – enjoy:
WATCH: Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
Image credit: Getty