Leonard Norman Cohen
(September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, and painter. His work was mostly about religion, politics, sexuality, and personal relationships. All of these ideas can be seen in his best known work, "
Hallelujah
".
[2]
Cohen was added into both the
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
and the
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
as well as the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
. He was a Companion of the
Order of Canada
, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2011, Cohen received one of the
Prince of Asturias Awards
for literature and the ninth
Glenn Gould Prize
.
Cohen was born on September 21, 1934 in
Westmount, Quebec
into a middle-class Canadian
Jewish
family. His mother was Marsha (Masha) Klonitsky and his father was Nathan Cohen.
[3]
Cohen's father died when he was nine years old.
During his high school years in Westmount, Cohen learned and played the guitar many times and wrote poems.
[4]
He studied at
McGill University
.
Cohen started a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s. Cohen did not start his music career until 1967, at the age of 33. His first album,
Songs of Leonard Cohen
(1967), was followed by three more albums of
folk music
:
Songs from a Room
(1969),
Songs of Love and Hate
(1971) and
New Skin for the Old Ceremony
(1974).
His 1977 record
Death of a Ladies' Man
was co-written and produced by
Phil Spector
. In 1979, Cohen returned with the more traditional
Recent Songs
, which blended his
acoustic
style with jazz and
Oriental
and
Mediterranean
influences.
"
Hallelujah
" was first released on Cohen's studio album
Various Positions
in 1984. Cohen wrote around 80 draft verses for "Hallelujah", with one writing session at the Royalton Hotel in New York where he was reduced to sitting on the floor in his underwear, banging his head on the floor.
[5]
This became Cohen's best known work.
I'm Your Man
in 1988 marked Cohen's most popular album with the song "
Everybody Knows
". In 1992, Cohen released its follow-up,
The Future
, which had dark lyrics and references to political and social unrest.
Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of
Ten New Songs
, which was a major hit in Canada and Europe. His eleventh album,
Dear Heather
, followed in 2004. After a successful string of tours between 2008 and 2010, Cohen released three albums in the final four years of his life:
Old Ideas
(2012),
Popular Problems
(2014) and
You Want It Darker
(2016), the last of which was released three weeks before his death.
Though never married, Cohen had two children: Adam and Lorca with his girlfriend Suzanne Elrod.
[6]
[7]
He was also romantically linked with
Marianne Ihlen
,
[8]
[9]
Janis Joplin
and
Rebecca De Mornay
.
[10]
Cohen died in 7 November 2016 of
leukemia
and from complications of a fall in his sleep at his home in
Los Angeles
, aged 82.
[11]
[12]
[13]
His funeral was held on November 10, 2016 in Montreal, at a cemetery on Mount Royal, his congregation Shaar Hashomayim confirmed.
As was his wish, Cohen was laid to rest with a Jewish rite, in a simple pine
casket
, in a family plot.
[14]
[15]
- In 1968, Cohen refused a
Governor General's Award
(in category for English language poetry or drama) for
Selected Poems 1956?1968
.
- In 1991, Cohen was inducted into the
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
.
- In 1993, Cohen won the
Juno Award
for Male Vocalist of the Year.
- In 1994, Cohen won another
Juno Award
this time for Songwriter of the Year.
- In 1996, he was ordained a
Rinzai
Buddhist
monk
.
- In 2001, Cohen was awarded a
SNEP
Award for more than 100,000 copies sold of
Ten New Songs
in France.
- In 2003, he was made a Companion of the
Order of Canada
, Canada's highest civilian honour.
- In 2004,
Beautiful Losers
was chosen for inclusion in
Canada Reads 2005
. It was selected and originally to be championed by singer-songwriter
Rufus Wainwright
; however, tour commitments meant that Wainwright had to be replaced by
singer
Molly Johnson
.
- In 2006, Cohen was inducted into the
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
.
- In 2007, Cohen received a
Grammy
for
Album of the Year
as a featured artist on
Herbie Hancock
's
River: The Joni Letters
.
[16]
- In 2008, Cohen was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
.
[17]
- In June 2008 he was made a Grand Officer of the National
Order of Quebec
[1]
- ↑
Kapica, Jack (August 25, 1973).
"The trials of Leonard Cohen"
.
Montreal Gazette
. Retrieved
March 28,
2014
.
- ↑
de Melo, Jessica (December 11, 2009).
"Leonard Cohen to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 2010 Grammys"
. Spinner Canada. Archived from
the original
on February 24, 2010
. Retrieved
February 24,
2010
.
- ↑
Publications, Europa (2004).
The International Who's Who
.
ISBN
9781857432176
. Retrieved
April 22,
2012
.
- ↑
"Inductee: Leonard Cohen ? Into the consciousness ? Hour Community"
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-11-11
. Retrieved
2017-04-11
.
- ↑
Barton, Laura (18 December 2008).
"Hail, Hail, Rock'n'Roll"
.
The Guardian
.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen's third act ? Macleans.ca"
. September 21, 2016.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen died in his sleep after fall, manager says ? Fox News"
.
Fox News
. November 16, 2016.
- ↑
Stang Ihlen, Marianne Christine (July 29, 2016).
"Leonard Cohen Muse Marianne Ihlen, of "So Long, Marianne", Passes Away"
.
Everything Zoomer
. Retrieved
August 2,
2016
.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen’s muse Marianne Ihlen dies at age 81"
.
Toronto Star
, August 4, 2016 (printed version, August 5, 2016, page A3).
- ↑
Cohen, Leonard (June 1, 1993).
"Knowing Rebecca de Mornay Like Only Leonard Cohen Can"
. Archived from
the original
on September 19, 2012
. Retrieved
November 19,
2010
.
- ↑
Beeston, Laura (November 12, 2016).
"Montrealers make pilgrimage to Leonard Cohen's old haunts"
.
Toronto Star
. Retrieved
November 12,
2016
.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen Died on Monday, Sony Confirms"
.
Billboard
. 11 November 2016.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen, singer-songwriter of love, death and philosophical longing, dies at 82"
.
The Washington Post
. November 10, 2016.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen died Monday, funeral held Thursday in Montreal"
.
Montreal Gazette
. November 11, 2016
. Retrieved
November 11,
2016
.
- ↑
"Leonard Cohen had simple funeral"
. Bang Showbiz
. Retrieved
November 14,
2016
.
- ↑
"GRAMMY.com"
. Archived from
the original
on 2008-04-04
. Retrieved
2008-10-04
.
- ↑
"Indictees for 2008"
.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame official website
. 2007-12-13
. Retrieved
2008-03-11
.