Thursday, March 28, 2024

#RIP Leonard Cohen: Artist, Hero, Genius Follows Prince and David Bowie in Music’s Worst Year

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Leonard Cohen is dead at 82, just a couple of weeks after delivering his final album. He was a great artist, a hero, and a genius. In a year when Prince, David Bowie and Glenn Frey, not to mention Natalie Cole, have all left us, this is another crushing blow. From “Suzanne” to “Hallelujah” and his numerous classics like “First We Take Manhattan,” Cohen was a glorious and unforgiving poet who was right up there with Dylan, Lennon, and Paul Simon.

A statement on his Facebook page reads: 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.”

No cause of death was given but we can assume Cohen was ill. The new album, “You Want it Darker,” seemed to indicate he knew his time was up.

More in the morning. But do download or stream Jennifer Warnes’ “Famous Blue Raincoat” album of Leonard Cohen’s songs as well as his own recordings.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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