Legendary singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has died

Sad news from the music world, several news outlets are reporting that legendary singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has died.

The CBC, citing his publicists, says the Canadian musician, best known for folk-pop hits such as “If you could read my mind” and “The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” has died at the age of 84.

A representative for the family told the CBC that said Lightfoot died at a Toronto hospital on Monday tonight. The cause of death was not immediately available.

In the 1970s, Lightfoot was nominated for five Grammy awards, three platinum records and nine gold records for albums and singles. He performed in over 1,500 concerts and recorded 500 songs. In 1971, he made his first appearance on the Billboard chart with “If You Could Read My Mind.” It reached No. 5 and has since spawned scores of covers.

“He was a storyteller in song, like Bob Dylan, and made a name for himself” said Ed Newman, a local artist and blogger. “There was a lot of mutual respect. Bob Dylan one time said, ‘I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like.'”