More than a hundred mourners gathered outside the Montreal home of beloved Canadian musician Leonard Cohen in the hours after the singer's family announced his passing Thursday at age 82. They lit candles, strummed guitars and laid flowers at the world-renowned musicianâs doorstep on Rue Vallieres in the cityâs Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood.
The influential poet, writer, composer, singer and activist was born and raised in the Montreal suburb of Westmount. Cohen attended McGill University and considered a legal career before pursuing music.
Cohen maintained a close connection to the city even as he became more famous. CTV Montrealâs Amanda Kline reported on Thursday that fans prayed, hugged and shed tears for Cohen well into the night.
One self-proclaimed âLeonard Cohen superfan,â Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi, told Kline that he lives around the corner from the musicianâs home and that he always sings Cohenâs music when he walks by it.
âHim being Canadian and from Montreal kind of hits home,â Eshraghi-Yazdi said. âI donât know why we came down. I think itâs what you do when you grieve for someone you didnât know but affected your life so profoundly.â
Another mourner told Kline that her and her boyfriendâs shared love for Cohenâs music was what brought the couple together. One group of sombre fans stood in group and recited a prayer in his memory.
Montrealâs mayor, Denis Coderre, night that the cityâs flags would fly at half-mast to honour the hometown legend.
As more and more flowers and candles amassed on the stairs of the musicianâs doorstep, a simple homemade sign fastened to his door with letters spelling out âHallelujah,â one of Cohenâs most-classic songs, peacefully blew in the eveningâs chilly wind. Another sign taped to a lamppost nearby read, âMontreal Leonard Forever. RIPâ with a heart drawn on it.