‘An eternal inspiration’: Tributes pour in for legendary folk icon Gordon Lightfoot

Such was his global influence as a songwriter and performer that news of the legendary Gordon Lightfoot’s passing has lit up the world.

Reactions to the death of the man who gave us the picturesque “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” the dramatic “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” the melancholic “If You Could Read My Mind” and the bewildering “Beautiful” among tens of other songs that seemed to define the Canadian fabric, were swift and passionate, coming from people from all walks of life that had been deeply inspired and touched by his music.

“This one is really hard to write,” mourned Bryan Adams on Facebook, “Once in a blue moon you get to work and hang out with one of the people you admired when you were growing up.

“I was lucky enough to say Gordon was my friend and I’m gutted to know he’s gone. The world is a lesser place without him. I know I speak for all Canadians when I say: thank you for the songs Gordon Lightfoot. Best your sweet songwriting heart, RIP dear friend #gordonlightfoot.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted after Lightfoot’s passing:

“Gordon Lightfoot captured our country’s spirit in his music – and in doing so, he helped shape Canada’s soundscape. May his music continue to inspire future generations, and may his legacy live on forever. To his family, friends, and many fans across the country and around the world: I’m keeping you in my thoughts at this difficult time.”

And best-selling horror novelist Stephen King was also moved to pay tribute to the Orillia-born folk icon.

Chris Hadfield, retired astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station, simply wrote, “Your poetry and melodies are an eternal inspiration. Rest in peace now, Gordon Lightfoot.”

“Gordon Lightfoot has died,” tweeted King. “He was a great songwriter and a wonderful performer. Sundown, you better take dare/if I catch you creepin’ ‘round my back stairs.”

To many, Lightfoot’s extraordinary gift of matching words to melody was a touchstone of unparalleled craftmanship that drew the admiration of his peers.

Bob Dylan adored him, covering his song “Early Mornin’ Rain” on “Self-Portrait,” famously stating in his liner notes for his 1985 anthology “Biograph” that “I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like. Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever” and calling him “a rare talent” when he personally inducted him into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in Toronto at the 1986 Juno Awards.

And during his first appearance on Canadian soil in 14 years at Fallsview Casino’s OLG Stage, Billy Joel performed a verse of “Sundown” and told the concert audience that Lightfoot had inspired him to write the tunes “The Downeaster Alexa” and “Summer, Highland Falls.”

Many can’t remember a time in their lives when Lightfoot’s music wasn’t present, or when his music provided a sparkplug that led them to forge their own musical path.

“Rave On Gordon Lightfoot,” wrote Tom Wilson of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings — and a solo artist in his own right — on Facebook.

“My Mother used to come and visit me from time to time when I was a kid. I was maybe six-years old or so. One time she showed up with an old portable record player with a s***** needle that made every record I played sound like it had a five o’clock shadow in the grooves.”

“She came through the door one day with a copy of a record by a guy she used to go see at Steele’s Tavern on Yonge Street. Across the top of the record in big letters LIGHTFOOT and a photo of a guy leaning back in a studio chair holding a guitar up towards the ceiling and looking cool as s***.”

“The photo alone captured my young imagination. He looked serious, like he knew something that he wanted to tell me.”

Grammy-winning Canadian producer Greg Wells (Adele, Michael Bublé, Katy Perry) also shared a memory on Facebook of the first time he heard “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald.”

“My dad and I were driving in Peterborough when I was 9 years old and ‘The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald’ came on the car radio,” he wrote. “Dad said ‘listen to this song’ and he told me the story of what had happened.

“Gordon Lightfoot’s music hit me straight in the feels from that day on. His unique and very Canadian singing voice, and his voice as a songwriter, get all up inside me.

Ron Sexsmith, touring in Ireland, tweeted his sympathies.

“Just hearing the enormously sad news about Gord from over the sea. I didn’t know him very well but his music was my guiding light as a songwriter. I never missed a chance to see him at Massey Hall.”

The Tragically Hip’s Rob Baker also shared his sentiments over Facebook on behalf of the band.

“I’m sitting here listening to “Gord’s Gold” and thinking of the hundreds and hundreds of times I’ve listened to this, alone, laying in the backseat of my parents car heading to Georgian Bay, or with everyone on the tour bus rolling across the country.”

“These are some of the finest, most durable songs ever written. To say he was/is a national icon sells him short. He was and always will be a great artist and one of the finest songwriters to ever grace a stage.”

That’s something else that Lightfoot was known for: being a generous advocate for Canadian musicians. He loved the community and often could be found out and about in Toronto, offering in-person endorsement simply by attending shows.

Humble to a fault, he always had encouraging words for fellow artists.

“You were a joy to work with and I jumped at every chance just to be in your presence,” wrote veteran country star Carroll Baker. “This lump in my throat is so darn big it’s choking me.”

“Thank you Gordon Lightfoot for the stories you shared with me personally and made me laugh. Most of all thank you for the timeless musical masterpieces that will live on forever. What a legacy!”

Singer and songwriter Dayna Manning recalls performing at the Hugh’s Room star-studded “The Way We Feel” tribute to Lightfoot’s music that was held annually for 15 years and recalling how “gracious” he was.

“That’s one the greatest experiences of my life,” she told the Star Monday evening. “I remember being at Hugh’s Room and Gordon and his family and entourage came in while we were on stage playing ‘Love and Maple Syrup.’

“I remember watching him sit down and he was so gracious: he came up to the dressing room after and he told me that I was a great guitar player. It was one of the highlights of my life.”

Manning said that the first Lightfoot album she heard, “The Summer Side of Life,” changed her life.

“I love a songwriter who doesn’t follow the rules,” she explained. “I always thought his melodic approach and structure approach was just super unique and natural. The way he could tell a story in so many different ways, in a folk song like “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald” and telling that story in a very old, traditional ways that are hundreds of years old, and then write a song like “Love and Maple Syrup” which is amazing with its melody in the way the lyrics flow.

“He really is an iconic staple of Canadian music that guided the way for generations of songwriters.”

Tunesmith Julian Taylor said he often studies Lightfoot songs as a litmus test for his own compositions and appreciates “the way he chose his words so carefully.”

“I feel like he’s been such an influence on me — and the meaning behind the stories, and the way that he approached love was quite astonishing,” Taylor told the Star. “It’s hard to write a wonderful, unique love song and he had a powerful knack for that.

“He left a positive mark on people all over the world.”

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