“It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away. We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries,” read a statement on Cohen’s Facebook page.
Cohen, who was brought up in Montreal but lived in California late in his life, will have a private memorial service at a later date, the statement said.
Cohen began as a poet before at first reluctantly branching out into music, writing some of his generation’s most reflective songs including the oft-covered spiritual “Hallelujah.”
He released his final album just last month. Entitled “You Want It Darker,” Cohen on the album reflected at length on his own mortality.