Beloved frontman for Tragically Hip succumbs to cancer
TORONTO (CP) — Gord Downie, the poetic lead singer of the Tragically Hip whose determined fight with brain cancer inspired a nation died on Tuesday night at age 53.
Downie died “with his beloved children and family close by,” the band said in a statement on its website Wednesday morning.
In the wake of his diagnosis with glioblastoma — an incurable form of cancer — the musician became a symbol of perseverance in the face of his mortality.
“Gord knew this day was coming — his response was to spend this 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,” said the statement, which was attributed to the Downie family.
“Gord said he had lived many lives. As a musician, he lived ‘the life’ for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. No one.”
Downie, one of Canada’s most revered singer-songwriters, penned a steady stream of 1990s rock radio staples including “New Orleans Is Sinking,” “Blow at High Dough,” “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan),” “Ahead By a Century” and “Bobcaygeon.” While Hip albums released in the 2000s didn’t produce as many hits, the band hung on to its unofficial status as Canada’s favourite rock band.
While the Hip was frequently described as quintessentially Canadian, Downie had dismissed the suggestion that he set out to celebrate his homeland in song.
“I haven’t written too many political lyrics,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press in 2014. “Nor have I written any pro-Canada lyrics, any kind of jingoistic, nationalistic cant .... That stuff doesn’t interest me and I don’t even know if I could write that if I tried because I don’t really feel it.
“Social causes are quite obvious. Music brings people together. So my function in anything I do is to help bring people closer in.”
In the aftermath of the shocking May 2016 announcement that Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer the band said it would mount a tour — which many correctly assumed would be the Hip’s last.
Interest was off the charts and tickets sold out nearly immediately. While the band’s managers assured fans that Downie was prepared to “blow people’s minds,” he was suffering from serious memory issues. In the recently released documentary “Long Time Running,” Downie recalled his struggles with lyrics as he prepared to perform.
“I actually couldn’t remember a damn thing. I think I started to cry,” the singer said of the first tour rehearsal. Dave (Billy Ray) Koster, the Hip’s technical director, recalled Downie’s trouble with the hit “My Music at Work,” a song which repeats its title in the lyrics 18 times.
“He would look at me and say, ‘Billy, what’s that line called?’ and then he would write it down,” Koster said. Downie ultimately had six teleprompters on stage to help him get through the concerts.
Despite conflicting with its coverage of the Summer Games in Rio, the CBC broadcast the last show of the tour live — in the Hip’s hometown of Kingston, Ont. — and thousands of fans also attended public viewing parties across the country to experience the band’s swan song.
An impassioned Downie led the group through a nearly three-hour set and acknowledged the country’s enthusiastic support.
“Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing,” he said from the stage, which prompted a “Gordie!” chant from the audience.
He used the national platform to call for more attention to the inequities faced by Indigenous Peoples, particularly in the North.
“We’re in good hands, folks, real good hands,” Downie said in reference to Trudeau.
“He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what’s going on up there. And what’s going on up there ain’t good. It’s maybe worse than it’s ever been, so it’s not on the improve. (But) we’re going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.”
About two months later, Downie released the multimedia solo project “Secret Path,” which recounted the life of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack, who died in 1966 after running away from a residential school in northern Ontario.
“Secret Path” won three Juno Awards in April — best adult alternative album, best songwriter for Downie, and best recording package for its presentation with a graphic novel. While Downie didn’t attend the Juno festivities, he appeared in a pre-recorded acceptance speech during the telecast.
The Hip’s modest beginnings can be traced back to 1984 in Kingston, where Downie co-founded the band with four high-school friends — including guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay. Guitarist Paul Langlois joined in 1986 when saxophonist David Manning left the band.
The early years were a slog as the Hip graduated from local university campus shows to dive bars.
A small but loyal fan base began to form just as their self-titled debut EP hit record stores in 1987.