I had the chance to see him a few years ago, when he was playing a casino near Calgary. Sadly, my schedule got in the way, and I gave the tickets away. Maybe a schedule can be put aside occasionally–a lesson I learned from that.
A favourite lyric from “Did She Mention My Name”:
I think we’ve all been there. Rest well, Gord, you’ve touched us all, and you’ve earned a rest.
Lightfoot is a musical icon who takes me back to my youth. As someone who very rarely attends concerts (by which I mean, almost never) it was particularly memorable when Lightfoot performed on campus back in my undergraduate university days. It was a very enjoyable concert and probably helped spur my appreciation of his music, of which I have quite a substantial collection.
Another connection to my younger days is that Lightfoot evokes the era when I and several of my friends owned sailboats. Cruising Lake Huron and the gorgeous areas of Georgian Bay and the North Channel, I’d inevitably have Lightfoot on the stereo. He was an avid sailor himself, and of course Christian Island would be part of the mix:
I’m sailing down the summer day
Where the fish and seagulls play
I put my troubles all away
And when the gale comes up I’ll fill my cup
With the whiskey of the highlands
She’s a good old ship and she’ll make the trip
From the lee of Christian Island
What little I know about Lightfoot’s personal life is that he was a heavy drinker, at least for some part of his life, which probably contributed to premature aging. Whether it accelerated his death we may never know, but still, 84 is a good run. RIP Gordon, you were a national treasure, and part of my youth.
Oh, crap! 
RIP, Gordon. My next glass of Canadian rye will be for you.
I thought about going to see him this past summer at the Canadian National Exhibition, but I wasn’t sure how good his voice was nowadays. I guess I missed my chance. RIP.
His voice was not good.
He had to get helped out onstage, and the audience could barely hear him.
Very sad.
Very sad news. His music was a big part of my youth, and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” was one of the first 45s I ever bought.
The last time I remember seeing him on TV was when he did the halftime show for the 100th Grey Cup game (Canadian Football championship game), which I see was in 2012. He looked old and thin even then, though his voice was still pretty good (even if it wasn’t what it was in the '70s).
I went to see JD Souther a few years ago at a small venue. His singing and playing both showed his years, but the stories about the soundtrack of my youth made it a great evening even if you wouldn’t want a recording of it.
RIP Gordon.
I saw him in concert ages ago, probably '82. Nothing too fancy or flashy, just a damn good show.
I dunno about that. I was on a sailing ship in a storm, once, and I had an earworm of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Was not really what I needed to be thinking about, at the time.
You should have been thinking about the lyrics of Christian Island instead. 
There was a distinct moment in time when I fell in love with sailing, before I owned my own boat, and it happened during the aforementioned Lightfoot era in my life. It was during a sailing course when we happened to be out on Lake Huron in strong winds and rough waters. I was at the wheel when we were tacking against a strong headwind. The boat was heeled over at a seemingly precarious angle, and as it surged through the waves it seemed like a living thing, powered only by the wind, but a huge living thing of many tons with a power and will of its own that I was controlling. And so Gordon perceived it, too …
Tall and strong she dips and reels
I call her silver heels
And she tells me how she feels
She’s a good old boat and she’ll stay afloat
Through the toughest gales and keep smilin’
He ensured that we’d always remember the 29 souls lost on the Fitz. Especially every 10 November. They were so close to Whitefish Bay. If they’d put only 15 more miles behind her.
After doing a quick search, we Dopers have remembered the Fitz often. Here are some of the threads with Edmund Fitzgerald in the title. There are some more, still.
In a way, these are our way to chime the church bell 29 times…
He was one of those guys (along with Neil Young and Bob Dylan and John Prine and JJ Cale) whose songwriting ability was leaps and bounds ahead of their performing and producing. I’ve just been watching a heap of his live performances, in his honour. His songs are phenomenal, his band and production pedestrian at best.
And if you want a laugh, watch this. Make sure you stick around for the second version, at around 04.00
Every time I kayaked on Lake Superior, my goal was not to become a Gordon Lightfoot song…
Brian
I thought about this clip from Burton Cummings:
Sundown, you better take care!
What a great talent. RIP Mr. Lightfoot.
Gordon Lightfoot was an extraordinary singer/songwriter whose legacy goes far beyond the songs we remember as his Top 40 hits. In the 1970s, when his star was shining its brightest, I saw two of his concerts on the college circuit. They remain two of the most memorable performances I’ve ever attended. Over many decades, his music was an important part of my life. I feel almost like I’ve lost a friend. I expect over the next days and weeks to plug in the old turntable and enjoy the eight or so LPs I have all over again. Farewell, Mr. Lightfoot, and thank you.
That was one of the first albums I listened to (I don’t remember which of my sisters it belonged to, or maybe it was my brother’s…), and this was the first artist I tried to imitate.
The Guess Who wrote a beautiful tribute to him back in '68 - this song pretty much summed up Gordon Lightfoot for me. The Guess Who - Lightfoot (Official Audio) - YouTube
Guinastasia (RIP) participated in most of those threads. An Edmund Fitzgerald info site she linked to in '02, Awesome Mitten is still there. Now I’m doubly sad, but who knows? Maybe Gordie and Guin are having a little chat right now, waiting in line for some afterlife service. No queuing in the next realm? As if.
I love that song and many others by Lightfoot. Great voice. A great storytelling voice. So long,Gordon, your music will live on forever.
I just remembered a tiny piece of Lightfoot trivia: he wasn’t descended from any North American tribes. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought Lightfoot was Cree or another regional tribal name.
And, I thought about this clip from SCTV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZpk0A4hZes