photo by Adam Cohen
2016 continues to take so much away from us. Today, the world mourns the death of a ladies’ man, Leonard Cohen, at age 82. His Facebook page reports:
It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away. 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.
A prolific visionary indeed, Cohen wrote deeply personal yet universal songs about love, religion and politics across 14 albums, capturing a state of mind and possession of the heart like no one else, all while influencing countless other musicians throughout his 50 year recording career. In his personal life, the Canadian-born icon was a true seeker, a traveler through the religion as much as through the world, at home within Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity, London, New York and Montreal. Although he experienced some lengthy periods of inactivity, over the past decade, Leonard Cohen had been performing regularly. Recently, his health had been declining, yet he offered one final work of beauty, You Want It Darker, his final great work and a clear and moving meditation on mortality, which he seemed to have accepted fully. As he said to The New Yorker during its making, “I am ready to die. I hope it’s not too uncomfortable. That’s about it for me.” This summer, Cohen even bid a final “so long” to his beloved Marianne and, as she was passing from cancer, reassured her that he would be close behind, saying: “if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine.” Yet now matter how ready he was for death, it comes as an enormous loss to us – his fans, his friends, his disciples, his lovers. It should go without saying that until the end of time, Leonard Cohen will always be our man.