Nation loses music icon
Beloved Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie dead at 53 after public battle with cancer
TORONTO — Gord Downie, the poetic lead singer of the Tragically Hip whose determined fight with brain cancer inspired a nation, has died. He was 53. Downie died Tuesday night “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 a 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.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in tears as he paid tribute to Downie and how he devoted the last chapter of his life to advocating for the rights of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.
“He loved every hidden corner, every story, every aspect of this country,” Trudeau said.
“He wanted to make it better, he knew as great as we were we need to be better than we are. That’s why this last year’s been devoted to Chanie Wenjack and to reconciliation. This is something I’ve certainly drawn inspiration and strength from.
“We are less without Gord Downie.”
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.
Downie’s final public performance was in February as a surprise guest during a Blue Rodeo concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Singer Jim Cuddy introduced Downie for a rendition of the 1992 hit Lost Together, alongside members of the Sadies. As the song finished, Downie kissed and hugged his fellow musicians, waved to the audience and left the stage.