“Gord said he had lived many lives,” they added. “Gord knew this day was coming – his response was to spend this precious time as he always had – making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss … on the lips. “Last night, Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by,” his family wrote in a statement. Gord Downie Death | Gord Downie Brain Cancerĭownie died of brain cancer (Glioblastoma) on 17 October 2017, at the age of 53 in Toronto, Canada. He had an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, which he discovered after a seizure in December 2015.

Bellegarde also bestowed on Downie an honorary aboriginal name, Wicapi Omani, which is Lakota for “man who walks among the stars.” Downie was appointed to the Order of Canada on Jin recognition of leadership in Indigenous issues. The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund operates out of the Toronto Foundation.Īt the Assembly of First Nations in Gatineau, Quebec on 6 December 2016, National Chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator above, for his support of the indigenous peoples of Canada. The Fund is a part of Downie’s legacy and commitment to Canada’s First Peoples.Chanie Wenjack is a young boy who died trying to escape a residential school,who is at the centre of Downie’s Secret Path project. In 2014, he released an album with the Sadies called And the Conquering Sun which consisted of ten songs.ĭownie and his brother Mike, along with the Wenjack family, announced the founding of The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples ,on 13 October 2016. The album debuted at number 11 of the Top Heatseekers chart in March 2008. In his solo project City and Colour, Green had Downie sing on the track Sleeping Sickness off City and Colour’s hit album Bring Me Your Love. Terfry composed the track and with the help of Charles Austen, his co-writer, decided Downie’s vocals would be the best fit for their song. Terfry collaborated with Downie on the song Whispers of the Waves off the album 20 Odd Years. His most famous Canadian collaborations are with Richard Terfry, Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire, the Sadies and Fucked Up. He released his third solo album in 2010, which is credited to Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles.ĭownie had collaborated with fellow Canadian and international artists. In 2003, Downie create a second solo album, Battle of the Nudes, before returning to the studio with the Tragically Hip. He diverted from the band and started his solo career with the release of his album Coke Machine Glow in 2001. The band has won over many fans through the incorporation of Downie’s stories and myths about life in Canada in his songs, and his wild antics and rantings on stage. Originally, the band started off playing cover songs in bars and quickly became famous once MCA Records president Bruce Dickinson saw them performing at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and offered them a record deal. Saxophone player Davis Manning left the band and guitarist Paul Langlois joined in 1986. He formed the Tragically Hip with Rob Baker, Johnny Fay, Davis Manning, and Gord Sinclair in 1983. He had released six solo albums: Coke Machine Glow in 2001, Battle of the Nudes in 2003, The Grand Bounce in 2010, And the Conquering Sun with The Sadies in 2014, Secret Path in 2016 and Introduce Yerself in 2017. He attended the downtown Kingston high school Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute. He was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in Kingston, Ontario where he befriended the musicians who would become The Tragically Hip. Gord Downie born Gordon Edgar Downie was a Canadian rock musician, writer, and occasional actor born on 6 February 1964. Downie was the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip which he fronted from their formation in 1984 until his death in 2017.

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