Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ September 21 1934 November 7 2016 was a Canadian singer songwriter poet novelist and painter His work mostly explored religion politics isolation sexuality and personal relationships2 Cohen was inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame He was a Companion of the Order of Canada the nations highest civilian honor In 2011 Cohen received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s and did not launch a music career until 1967 at the age of 33 His first album Songs of Leonard Cohen 1967 was followed by three more albums of folk music Songs from a Room 1969 Songs of Love and Hate 1971 and New Skin for the Old Ceremony 1974 His 1977 record Death of a Ladies Man was cowritten and produced by Phil Spector which was a move away from Cohens previous minimalist sound In 1979 Cohen returned with the more traditional Recent Songs which blended his acoustic style with jazz and Oriental and Mediterranean influences Hallelujah was first released on Cohens studio album Various Positions in 1984 Im Your Man in 1988 marked Cohens turn to synthesized productions and remains his most popular album In 1992 Cohen released its followup The Future which had dark lyrics and references to political and social unrest Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of Ten New Songs which was a major hit in Canada and Europe His eleventh album Dear Heather followed in 2004 After a successful string of tours between 2008 and 2010 Cohen released three albums in the final four years of his life Old Ideas 2012 Popular Problems 2014 and You Want It Darker 2016 the last of which was released three weeks before his death Description above from the Wikipedia article Leonard Cohen licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia