Story highlights
- Musician Leonard Cohen, who wrote hit song "Hallelujah," died peacefully in Los Angeles
- Tributes flowed from around the world for Cohen, who was known for his poetic lyrics
(CNN)Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82.
"We have lost one of music's most revered and prolific visionaries," said a post on the artist's official Facebook page.
No further details were released, but the announcement comes a month after the artist told the New Yorker: "I am ready to die. I hope it's not too uncomfortable. That's about it for me."
A highly-respected artist known for his poetic and lyrical music, Cohen wrote a number of popular songs including the often-covered "Hallelujah."
His 14th studio album, "You Want It Darker," had just been released on October 21.
Read More
Cohen's son, Adam, who helped produce his latest album, said in a statement his father died in the knowledge he'd made "one of his greatest records."
"He was writing up until his last moments with his unique brand of humor," he said.
Cohen's manager, Robery Kory, said the artist's work would inspire "for generations to come."
"Unmatched in his creativity, insight and crippling candor, Leonard Cohen was a true visionary whose voice will be sorely missed," he said in a statement.
The Sony Music Canada family joins the world in mourning Leonard Cohen's passing.
— Sony Music Canada (@Sony_Music) November 11, 2016
Apart from his successful musical career, Cohen also wrote novels and numerous collections of poetry.
Cohen's death comes less than a year after his friend, muse and former lover Marianne Ihlen passed away -- before she died, Cohen wrote her a letter, as reported by CBC, which went viral around the world.
"It said, 'Well Marianne, it's come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine," Ihlen's friend Jan Christian Mollestad told CBC Radio.
1 of 14
2 of 14
3 of 14
4 of 14
5 of 14
6 of 14
7 of 14
8 of 14
9 of 14
10 of 14
11 of 14
12 of 14
13 of 14
14 of 14
'That's how the light gets in'
Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the chorus of celebrities bidding farewell to the artist on social media, quoting from Cohen's "Suzanne."
& when he knew for certain
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 11, 2016
Only drowning men could see him
He said all men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them
-Leonard Cohen
Many remembered him with a line from his 1992 single, Anthem: "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."
— Tina (@tina_baines) October 30, 2016
~Leonard Cohen pic.twitter.com/4uhbnSaCAJ
Dear Leonard Cohen, thanks for the quiet nights, the reflection, the perspective, the wry smiles and the truth #towerofsong
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) November 11, 2016
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined those mourning Cohen's death, saying his work had "resonated across generations."
"Canada and the world will miss him."
No other artist's music felt or sounded like Leonard Cohen's. Yet his work resonated across generations. Canada and the world will miss him.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 11, 2016
A memorial will be held for Cohen in Los Angeles on a date still to be announced, according to his official Facebook page.
'I did my best, it wasn't much'
Cohen was already a published author when he released his first album, "Song of Leonard Cohen," in 1967.
He was famous for his lyrically complex songs, some of which were better received as covers than in Cohen's original versions -- both Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" cover in 1994 and Judy Collins 1966 version of "Suzanne" were more popular than the originals.
Born in 1934 in Montreal, Canada, Cohen was forced to go on tour again the past decade after discovering his retirement fund was missing more than $5 million, his Rolling Stone biography said.
1 of 119
2 of 119
3 of 119
4 of 119
5 of 119
6 of 119
7 of 119
8 of 119
9 of 119
10 of 119
11 of 119
12 of 119
13 of 119
14 of 119
15 of 119
16 of 119
17 of 119
18 of 119
19 of 119
20 of 119
21 of 119
22 of 119
23 of 119
24 of 119
25 of 119
26 of 119
27 of 119
28 of 119
29 of 119
30 of 119
31 of 119
32 of 119
33 of 119
34 of 119
35 of 119
36 of 119
37 of 119
38 of 119
39 of 119
40 of 119
41 of 119
42 of 119
43 of 119
44 of 119
45 of 119
46 of 119
47 of 119
48 of 119
49 of 119
50 of 119
51 of 119
52 of 119
53 of 119
54 of 119
55 of 119
56 of 119
57 of 119
58 of 119
59 of 119
60 of 119
61 of 119
62 of 119
63 of 119
64 of 119
65 of 119
66 of 119
67 of 119
68 of 119
69 of 119
70 of 119
71 of 119
72 of 119
73 of 119
74 of 119
75 of 119
76 of 119
77 of 119
78 of 119
79 of 119
80 of 119
81 of 119
82 of 119
83 of 119
84 of 119
85 of 119
86 of 119
87 of 119
88 of 119
89 of 119
90 of 119
91 of 119
92 of 119
93 of 119
94 of 119
95 of 119
96 of 119
97 of 119
98 of 119
99 of 119
100 of 119
101 of 119
102 of 119
103 of 119
104 of 119
105 of 119
106 of 119
107 of 119
108 of 119
109 of 119
110 of 119
111 of 119
112 of 119
113 of 119
114 of 119
115 of 119
116 of 119
117 of 119
118 of 119
119 of 119
In 2008 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the United States.
"There are few artists in the realm of popular music who can truly be called poets, in the classical, arts-and-letters sense of the word," his tribute on the museum's website says.
"Among them are Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell and Phil Ochs. Leonard Cohen heads this elite class."
On his official Facebook page the only biography provided is one verse from his most popular song, "Hallelujah."
"I did my best, it wasn't much. I couldn't tell so I learned to touch. I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you. And even though it all went wrong, I'll stand before the Lord of Song with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah."