Like most average Canadians, Downie was a big hockey fan. 20, 2016.ĭownie was born in Kingston on Feb. The last stop in the band’s hometown, Kingston, Ont. The Tragically Hip announced that they would do a final summer tour. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord.”ĭownie was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer which Canadians learned of in May 2016. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. As a musician, he lived “the life” for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. Surrounded by loved ones at the time of his death, a statement was published on the band’s website from his family that read, “Gord said he had lived many lives. Downie also produced three solo albums since 2001, as well as a collaboration with fellow Canadian indie darlings The Sadies.Gord Downie, the frontman for one of Canada’s most admired rock bands, the Tragically Hip, died on Tuesday night at the age of 53. Downie’s wife, Laura Leigh Usher, and her successful battle with breast cancer. The band’s 2012 album, “Now for Plan A,” was lyrically influenced by Mr. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 14 Juno awards, the equivalent of the Grammy in Canada. Since then they have released 14 studio albums, two live albums, one EP and 54 singles. Their first self-titled EP was released in 1987 and their breakthrough debut full-length album, “Up to Here,” was released in 1989. While at university, he met Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fray, and they formed The Tragically Hip, which started out as a cover band. Downie said he “always had a keen ear for music” and while all the other kids were spending their allowance on baseball trading cards, he was buying records “from the fathers of rock ’n’ roll.” He said his “Secret Path” project was aimed at Canada’s decades-long government policy of requiring aboriginal children to attend residential schools, where physical and sexual abuse was often rampant.īorn in Amherstview, Ontario, Mr. Downie released a solo album with an accompanying graphic novel and animated film inspired by the tragedy of state-funded church schools that Canadian aboriginal children were forced to attend from the 19th century until the 1970s. Downie called out to Trudeau, who attended the concert, to help fix problems in Canada’s aboriginal communities.Ī few months after that concert, Mr. “God knew this day was coming - his response was to spend his precious time as he always had - making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss … on the lips,” the Downie family said in a statement.ĭuring his final show, Mr. But through it all, he remained the consummate showman, rocking out on stage in distinctive leather suits.
Downie later said that he needed six teleprompters during the concert series so he would not forget lyrics. Tickets for the 2016 summer tour sold out almost immediately, culminating in a national broadcast of the band’s final tour stop at Kingston, Ontario.
That same day, the band said it would mount a Canadian tour despite Mr.
When the band made the news public the following May, expressions of sorrow poured in from across the country. Downie was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer, in December 2015.
And he wanted to make it better,” Trudeau said in Ottawa. “He loved every hidden corner, every aspect of this country that he celebrated his whole life. He was the frontman of one of Canada’s most iconic bands, a rock star, artist, and poet whose evocative lyrics came to define a country.” Trudeau also said in a written statement that “Downie uncovered and told the stories of Canada. “I thought I was going to make it through this but I’m not. We all knew it was coming but we hoped it wasn’t,” said Trudeau, his voice breaking. “We are less as a country without Gord Downie in it. Downie on national television in a statement to reporters. While Canadian musicians Drake, the Weeknd and Justin Bieber have made waves internationally, The Tragically Hip built a huge following of die-hard homegrown fans.Īn emotional Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wept in Parliament while talking about Mr. “Ahead by a Century” and “Bobcaygeon” are among the best known. Since The Tragically Hip’s first album in 1987, the band has provided a soundtrack for the lives of many Canadians.
TORONTO - Gord Downie, who made himself part of Canada’s national identity with songs about hockey and small towns as lead singer and songwriter of iconic rock band The Tragically Hip, has died at age 53 after a battle with brain cancer.Ī statement on the band’s website said he died Tuesday night “with his beloved children and family close by.” The statement did not give a cause of death, though he had been diagnosed earlier with brain cancer.