has prompted an outpouring of condolences and celebration of his musical legacy from fellow artists, politicians, and luminaries in Canada and around the world.
The legendary 53-year-old singer-songwriter died Tuesday night âwith his beloved children and family close by,â according to a .
Actors Ryan Reynolds and Seth Rogen, Toronto Maple Leafs legend Doug Gilmour, and Bubbles from The Trailer Park Boys have all taken to Twitter to express their feelings about Downieâs loss. More than 100,000 people tweeted about the Canadian music legend on Wednesday morning, according to Twitter Canada.
tweeted in both official languages âThere will never be another one like you, Gord. Rest in peace my friend.âTrudeau added that âCanadaâs identity and culture are richer for Gord Downieâs work.â
The prime minister eulogized Downie in an emotional public address, referring to him as âOur buddy Gord.â He praised his love of Canada and dedication to repairing ties with Indigenous communities in his later years.
âThis is something that I have certainly drawn inspiration and strength from, and we are less as a country without Gord Downie in it,â Trudeau said.
There will never be another one like you, Gord. Rest in peace my friend.
â Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau)
Music journalist Alan Cross said the Tragically Hip served as âCanadaâs house bandâ during its more than three decades in the limelight, adding âthere were few more Canadian cultural institutions.â
âNow we are going to have an honest to God moment of national mourning for this guy and this band,â he told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel.
Artist Jeff Lemire, who collaborated with Downie on his fifth studio album that was accompanied by a graphic novel, collectively titled âSecret Path,â published a on Wednesday detailing how the pair and Gordâs brother Mike Downie met in a Toronto coffee shop four years ago to discuss the project.
âI love you, Gord. You changed my life and made me a better man and a better artist. I will see you again,â Lemire wrote.
âSecret Pathâ tells the story of a young Anishinaabe boy from the Marten Falls First Nation who died in 1966 while trying to return home after escaping from a residential school. The album won two Junos Awards in 2017.
Politicians
Downieâs death sent shockwaves through the halls of Parliament, as well as provincial legislatures across the country. Politicians and First Nations leaders in the countless communities he visited throughout his lengthy touring career expressed their condolences.
House of Commons held a moment of silence for Downie to being Wednesdayâs session.
to the departed artist peppered with Tragically Hip lyrics.
âMr. Speaker the boy, Canadaâs boy, has gone home to fiddlerâs green. We are devastated by the loss of Gord Downie. The Tragically Hip has been the soundtrack of our nation. That cranked up, rowdy arena-rock band that was both profoundly intimate and profoundly Canadian,â he said. âGo to the angles Gord, and rock that choir. We will watch those constellations, and you, reveal themselves one star at a time.â
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, whose riding includes Kingston, Ont., where the Tragically Hip was formed, reflected on how the band emerged from its humble beginnings, and applauded Downieâs work on behalf of Indigenous communities.
âGord and the Tragically Hip started playing for Kingstonians in small pubs in the 1980s. Quickly winning over the hearts of Canadians, they rose to be known as Canadaâs band thanks to Gordâs stories through song, his wild antics, and his rantings on stage,â he said. âPerhaps what is most remarkable about Gord is that he chose to use his fame in a way to build up others.â
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde called Downie âan artist and advocate who made a great personal effort to advance reconciliation and raise awareness of First Nations issues in Canada,â in a statement on Tuesday.
Bellegarde and his wife Valerie wrapped Downie in a starblanket in a ceremony last December.
âI will always be moved by the powerful moment last December at our Assembly when we honoured Gord for his work,â he wrote. âToday, he begins a new journey among the stars, but his music, his art, his work and his memory will always be with us.â
that he was,âDeeply saddened to hear that Gord Downie had passed.â The Tragically Hip played its first gigs in the city and culminated the Man Machine Poem Tour there on Aug. 20, 2016.
called Downie âa legend who transcended entertainment and showed us all what courage in the face of adversity looks like.â
that âa piece of Canada has died.â
Conservative MP Tony Clement said he has attended a total of eight Tragically Hip concerts, and recalls an early show in 1986 in the bandâs native Kingston.
âWeâre all going to miss him,â Clement told reporters on Parliament Hill. âIt was a huge loss. I guess we knew this day was coming.â
Federal Heritage Minister Melanie Joly called Downie âone of our greatest Canadian icons.â
Gord Downie, you are and will always be one of our greatest Canadian icons. Your musical legacy and strong advocacy will always live on.
â Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly)
wrote, âWeâll miss you, Gord Downie. Artist, inspiration, ally of Indigenous people and great Ontarian. Condolences to family, friends and bandmates.â Horwath also included a quote from the much-loved song âAhead By A Century.â
Toronto Mayor John Tory took to Twitter to call for the âToronto signâ in front of city hall to be lit in red and white in honour of Downie. A tweet from the official City of Toronto account confirmed the sign will be dimmed at 11 p.m. in the singerâs memory.
I've asked that the Toronto sign be lit in red & white today to honour Gord Downie. The sign will be dimmed tonight at 11 p.m. to mourn this great Canadian.
â John Tory (@JohnTory)
Celebrities
, âSo long, Gord. Thank you,â with a Canadian flag emoji.
Legendary Canadian rock trio âItâs a sad, sad day for Canada and Canadian music . . . rest in peace Gord. . . and thank you.â
, âRIP Gord Downie. We loved you man.â
Filmmaker, podcaster, and fan of all things Canadian, wrote that Downie's "beautiful lyrics romanticized all things Canadian."
simply, âRIP Gord Downieâ with a Canadian flag emoji.
Canadian country music artist George Canyon praised Downieâs âlegendary musicâ tweeting that his heart goes out to his friends and family.
Very saddened to hear the passing of Gord Downie.
â George Canyon (@georgecanyon)
He leaves an incredible legacy of music. My heart goes out to his family and his fans.
Actor Mike Smith, known for playing Bubbles on the mockumentary series The Trailer Park Boys, reflected on collaborating with Downie in the music video for âThe Darkest One.â
Such great memories filming this.
â Bubbles (@MSmithBubbles)
"Off to a time and place now lost on our imagination"
Former Toronto Maple Leaf Doug Gilmour said he was âheartbrokenâ by news of Dowieâs death.
Heartbroken today. Few Canadians touched this country like Gord Downie. Thank you for everything you gave us. My deepest condolences.
â Doug Gilmour (@DougGilmour93)
Singer-songwriter k.d. lang tweeted a message of condolence with a clasped hands emoji.
Swift rebirth Gord Downie.
â k.d. lang (@kdlang)
The NHL Playersâ Association tweeted a photo of Downie wearing a Tragically Hip toque with an emblem resembling the official NHL logo, writing, âThe soundtrack of car rides to practices, bus trips to tournaments, and dressing rooms across Canada. Hockey was a part of you and you will always be a part of hockey. Thank you, Gord Downie.â
The soundtrack of car rides to practices, bus trips to tournaments, and dressing rooms across Canada. Hockey was a part of you and you will always be a part of hockey. Thank you, Gord Downie.
â NHLPA (@NHLPA)
, the iconic Toronto concert venue where the band once recorded a live album, tweeted âWe extend our sincere condolences & love to the Downie family & friends. We love you Gord & you will be missed.â
While Downieâs enduring place in Canadaâs cultural landscape has been firmly established by legions of fans since he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a terminal form of brain cancer in December 2015, Cross said his personal legacy still remains somewhat of a mystery.
He said the band, Downie, and his family have been virtually silent about his activities since he completed a solo project set to be released next Friday titled âIntroduce Yerself.â âWe are going to find out, I think, what Gord was doing in these last months as he was facing the end,â Cross said.
âWeâre going to be talking a lot about his work with Indigenous people.â