It is with sadness that we report that legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82.
Cohen enjoyed a career that spanned 50 years with his latest album, You Want It Darker, being released just a couple of weeks ago.
Renowned for a career that not only included recording and releasing his own material, Cohen also wrote many songs for others such as Willie Nelson and James Taylor. Most people will probably associate him with the song Hallelujah, which has been covered by many, but none quite so haunting as Jeff Buckley’s version.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Cohen’s son revealed that he was still writing up until his death, and felt that his most recent release was one of his greatest records.
Cohen ranks alongside troubadours such as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, with a legacy of work that spanned generations and still resonates today.
To me Leonard Cohen’s work takes me back to a very bittersweet time at the end of my first trip to New Zealand. I’d had the most amazing six months in that country and simultaneously wanted to come home and also stay forever. The family we stayed with before we left played a lot of his music so it always makes me think of that.
I’ll leave you with the title track from his latest album, but would love to hear from you if you have any memories/favourite songs FANdemaniacs.
