Rush’s Geddy Lee names Gordon Lightfoot as “the greatest Canadian”
Rush bassist Geddy Lee has paid tribute to the late singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot and named him as “the greatest Canadian”.
According to Lightfoot’s spokesperson Victoria Lord, the 84-year-old folk musician died at approximately 7:30pm on May 1st from natural causes at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. News of his death comes shortly after the musician cancelled his scheduled North American tour dates due to unspecified “health issues”.
Taking to Instagram, Lee paid homage to his fellow Canadian and wrote: “The first time we met was outside a local award show at a club in Toronto – a legendary poet, a songwriting inspiration – a gem of a man – I loved him. He used to bring his daughter who was a fan, to our shows, and he’d sit with her in the audience getting blasted with volume for three hours”.
“A few months back he phoned me out of the blue, for no other reason than to say he’d just watched one of our concert films and really loved it. Every time I ran into him the first thing he would ask was how many gigs we’d done that year – he’d then proudly counter with the fact that he had played even more! “RIP Gord – you are the man – the greatest Canadian”.
Others who have shared tributes to Lightfoot include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He wrote on social media: “We have lost one of our greatest singer-songwriters. 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.” Additionally, author Stephen King called him “a great songwriter and a wonderful performer.”
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