He used the national platform to call for more attention to the inequities faced by Indigenous Peoples, particularly in the North. 'Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing,'' he said from the stage, which prompted a 'Gordie!'' chant from the audience. Despite conflicting with its coverage of the Olympic Summer Games in Rio, the CBC broadcast the last show of the tour live - in the Hip's hometown of Kingston - and thousands of fans also attended public viewing parties across the country to experience the band's swan song.Īn impassioned Downie led the group through a nearly three-hour set and acknowledged the country's enthusiastic support. Interest was off the charts and tickets sold out nearly immediately. In the aftermath of the shocking May 2016 announcement that Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, the band said it would mount a tour - which many assumed would be the Hip's last.ĭownie used the spotlight to focus more attention on the issues facing Indigenous communities in Canada. So my function in anything I do is to help bring people closer in.'' That stuff doesn't interest me and I don't even know if I could write that if I tried because I don't really feel it.

'Nor have I written any pro-Canada lyrics, any kind of jingoistic, nationalistic cant. 'I haven't written too many political lyrics,'' he said in an interview with The Canadian Press in 2014. While the Hip was frequently described as quintessentially Canadian, Downie dismissed the suggestion that he set out to celebrate his homeland in song. While Hip albums released in the 2000s didn't produce nearly as many hits, the band hung on to its unofficial status as Canada's favourite rock band. Our identity and culture are richer because of his music, which was always raw and honest - like Gord himself.'ĭownie, one of Canada's most revered singer-songwriters, penned a steady stream of 1990s rock radio staples, including New Orleans Is Sinking, Blow at High Dough, Wheat Kings, Courage (For Hugh MacLennan), Ahead By a Century and Bobcaygeon. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. He painted landscapes with his words, elevating Canadian geography, historical figures, and myths. 'Gord's command of language was profound.

'The Tragically Hip's music invited us to explore places we had never been - from Mistaken Point to Churchill - and helped us understand each other, while capturing the complexity and vastness of the place we call home,' Trudeau said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who attended the Hip's final concert in Kingston in August 2016, issued a statement: No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord.

At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. 'As a musician, he lived 'the life' for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. 'Gord said he had lived many lives,'' read the statement, which was attributed to the Downie family. '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,'' the statement said.ĭownie spent the last chapter of his life raising funds for brain cancer research and advocating for the rights of Canada's Indigenous Peoples. In the wake of his diagnosis with glioblastoma - an incurable form of cancer - the musician became a symbol of perseverance in the face of his mortality. TORONTO - Gord Downie, the poetic lead singer of the Tragically Hip whose determined fight with brain cancer inspired a nation, died Tuesday night.ĭownie died 'with his beloved children and family close by,'' the band said in a statement on its website Wednesday morning.

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