Poet, Songwriter Leonard Cohen Dead At 82

After a career spanning five decades, the singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82. His death was announced on November 10, 2016.

Cohen’s son Adam issued a statement to Rolling Stone: “My father passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles with the knowledge that he had completed what he felt was one of his greatest records. He was writing up until his last moments with his unique brand of humor.”

Cohen released his final album, “You Want It Darker,” earlier this year. The album was a tribute to his longtime muse Marianne Ihlen as she died of leukemia.

Born in Montreal in 1934, Cohen learned to play guitar at a young age and joined a band called the Buckskin Boys when he was still attending day school. He later studied literature, and his first collection of poetry was published in 1956. His first album of music, “Songs of Leonard Cohen,” debuted in 1967. He eventually released thirteen more albums.

With his mournful tone and brooding subject matter, Cohen earned the nickname “the godfather of gloom.”

In a 2016 interview with New Yorker, Cohen expressed an acceptance of his own mortality. “I am ready to die,” he said. “I hope it’s not too uncomfortable. That’s about it for me.”