Cohen Enjoyed a Full Life, Well-Lived
By DONNA BALANCIA
Prolific musician Leonard Cohen has died, it was announced Thursday night. He was 82.
The Canadian-born Cohen was known for his beautifully written songs of love, angst and sex and his resonant voice. Cohen enjoyed a remarkable musical life and his folk-tinged, often romantic songs influenced many of today’s musicians.
“It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away,” a statement on Cohen’s Facebook page reads. “We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries. A memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. The family requests privacy during their time of grief.”
You Want It Darker
Cohen worked until the very end, as his latest album, You Want It Darker was released in October.
Among his most popular songs were “Hallelujah,” which Jeff Buckley reimagined in 1994 and “Suzanne,” considered his first mainstream success, released in 1967. In 1995, Cohen dropped out of music and became an ordained monk at a monastery outside Los Angeles. In 2001, after discovering deep financial problems, he went on a worldwind tour performing more than 385 shows from 2008 to 2013.
A cause of death is not known.
Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2008 and he received a lifetime achievement award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2010. He leaves behind a daughter, Lorca, a photographer, and a son, Adam, who produced Cohen’s last album, You Want it Darker.