Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...

, which he fronted from its formation in 1984 until his death in 2017. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and popular artists in Canadian music history. Downie released seven solo albums, two posthumously: '' Coke Machine Glow'' (2001), '' Battle of the Nudes'' (2003), '' The Grand Bounce'' (2010), '' And the Conquering Sun'' (2014), '' Secret Path'' (2016), '' Introduce Yerself'' (2017), and '' Away Is Mine'' (2020). His first to hit number one was ''Introduce Yerself'', shortly after his death. His family and managers said future releases are planned, including solo material and unreleased work with the Hip.

Early life

Gordon Downie was born in Amherstview, Ontario, and raised in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Tor ...

, along with his brothers

Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

and Patrick, and sisters Charlyn and Paula. He was the son of Lorna (Neal) and Edgar Charles Downie, a travelling salesman, later a real estate broker and developer. In Kingston, Downie attended the downtown high school Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where other members of the Tragically Hip also attended. In high school, Downie was the frontman for a band called the Slinks performing at the KCVI Variety show and rivaling older members Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair's band the Rodents. After graduating high school, Downie attended Queen's University where he majored in film studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in 1986.

Career

The Tragically Hip

In 1984, at age 20, Downie formed the Tragically Hip with, Rodents's members, Rob Baker and Gord Sinclair, another younger, Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute alumni, Johnny Fay, and saxophonist Davis Manning. In 1986, Manning left the band as guitarist-vocalist Paul Langlois joined. Originally, the band covered popular British rock songs from the 1960s. In an interview with Canadian music journalist Steve Newton, Downie noted that the Tragically Hip's early setlist was originally drawn to bands such as

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwe ...

and The Stones, a decision that was made because the Hip wished other Kingston bar bands would also play the genre. The Tragically Hip quickly became famous once MCA Records president Bruce Dickinson saw them performing at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and offered them a record deal. Downie began pursuing a solo career with the release of '' Coke Machine Glow'' in 2001. He published his first poetry and prose collection alongside the album and under the same title. The backing musicians, credited as the Goddamned Band, consisted of indie rock band the Dinner Is Ruined, Josh Finlayson of Skydiggers and singer-songwriter Julie Doiron. He released his second solo album, '' Battle of the Nudes'', in 2003 before returning to the studio with the Tragically Hip. His third solo effort, '' The Grand Bounce'', was released in 2010. Both it and ''Battle of the Nudes'' are credited as Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles. Gord Howie 2013

Collaborations

In addition to his solo works, Downie collaborated with several fellow Canadian and international artists. His most famous Canadian collaborations are with Richard Terfry (better known as

Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop artist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, count ...

), Dallas Green of

City and Colour Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist and songwr ...

and

Alexisonfire Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit ...

the Sadies The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Bria ...

and Fucked Up. Terfry collaborated with Downie on the song "Whispers of the Waves" off the album ''

20 Odd Years ''20 Odd Years'' is an album by Canadian hip-hop artist Buck 65. It was released on February 1, 2011, and named in honor of his twentieth anniversary in the music industry. The album continued Buck 65's tradition of combining several different mu ...

''. Terfry composed the track and with the help of Charles Austen, his co-writer, decided Downie's vocals would be the best fit for their song. In 2008, Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on

's single " Sleeping Sickness". In 2014, Downie released an album with the Sadies called '' And the Conquering Sun''. He commented on working with the Sadies, saying, "I enjoy getting together with those guys; it's a whole other universe. They're writing all the music and I'm writing all the lyrics and we're coming up with some neat stuff. You do it for the company but I'm genuinely shocked by the themes and things you touch based on the music you're singing to. That's really compelling to me." The album consists of ten songs. Also in 2014 Downie appeared as a guest vocalist on "The Art of Patrons", a song from Fucked Up's album ''

Glass Boys ''Glass Boys'' is the fourth full-length studio album from the Canadian hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harde ...

''. On February 2, 2017, Downie joined

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, ...

onstage at Massey Hall for a performance of Blue Rodeo's song "Lost Together". This marked his last public appearance before his death.

In other media

Downie had cameo appearances in '' Men with Brooms'', in which the Tragically Hip play a

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

team. Downie also made a cameo appearance in the 2008 indie drama ''Nothing Really Matters'', directed by Jean-Marc Piché. Downie also appears in the

Trailer Park Boys ''Trailer Park Boys'' is a Canadian mockumentary sitcom television series created by Mike Clattenburg that began airing in 2001 as a continuation of his 1999 film bearing the same name. The show follows the misadventures of a group of trailer ...

movie '' The Big Dirty'', in which he and Alex Lifeson play a pair of police officers. More recently, he and other members of the band appeared in the episode of ''Trailer Park Boys'' entitled "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys", in which he is harassed while eating a

bologna sandwich The bologna sandwich is a sandwich common in the United States and Canada. Also known as a baloney sandwich, it is traditionally made from sliced bologna sausage between slices of white bread, along with various condiments, such as mayonnaise, m ...

at a singles dance. Downie was also featured in the sitcom '' Corner Gas'' in the episode "Rock On!" in which the Tragically Hip are shown as a local band practising in the main character's garage. Colin James is also featured in the episode. Downie also appeared in Michael McGowan's 2008 film, '' One Week''. A documentary film, ''

Long Time Running ''Long Time Running'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. The film profiles the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip during their Man Machine Poem Tour of 2016,Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. With Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, Downie helped work on a cause to prevent a cement company from burning tires for fuel. He was also a part of the Swim Drink Fish Music club, a project that unites artists and environmentalists in a music club to raise money for Waterkeeper organizations in Canada.

The Great Moon Gathering

In February 2012 in Fort Albany,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Downie and the Tragically Hip played at the Great Moon Gathering, a yearly educational conference that takes place in various communities along Northern Ontario's

James Bay James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost p ...

coast. Its focus is on youth learning and combining Cree education with the contemporary world. The venue was small and not typical of the band. Author

Joseph Boyden Joseph Boyden (born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer of Irish and Scottish descent. He also claims Indigenous descent, but this is widely disputed. Joseph Boyden is best known for writing about First Nations culture ...

, who invited them, said their motivation was to "initiate a guerrilla act of love for a people who are so thoroughly underrepresented but now, somehow, overexposed for only their shortcomings. A guerrilla act of love to show the rest of the country what strength and artistry, grace and humour the Cree possess." In addition to the Tragically Hip's performance, Downie sang a song with a local band, Northern Revolution. The song "Goodnight Attawapiskat" from the album '' Now for Plan A'' was a result of this trip.

Indigenous affairs

On October 13, 2016, Downie and his brother Mike, along with the Wenjack family, announced the founding of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples."The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund"
DownieWenjack.ca, 13 October 2016. The fund is a part of Downie's legacy and commitment to Canada's First Peoples.

Chanie Wenjack Chanie "Charlie" Wenjack (January 19, 1954October 23, 1966) was an Ojibwe ( Anishinaabe) First Nations boy who ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School, where he boarded for three years in Kenora, Ontario, Canada. He died of hun ...

was a young indigenous boy who died trying to escape a residential school, who became the centre of Downie's ''Secret Path'' project. The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund is a registered charity. At the

Assembly of First Nations The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, ...

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's Na ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, on December 6, 2016, National Chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather, a symbol of the creator above, for his support of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Bellegarde also bestowed on Downie an honorary aboriginal name, Wicapi Omani, which is Lakota for "man who walks among the stars". Downie took to Parliament Hill on July 2, 2017, to speak out for Canada's young Indigenous people, likening it to the same kind of pain young people suffered in the now defunct residential schools.

Awards and recognitions

In May 2016, Downie and his bandmates received honorary degrees from Queen's University. Downie was not able to attend the ceremony due to his illness which had not yet been made public. On December 22, 2016, Downie was selected as

The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year and was the first entertainer selected for the title. In December 2017, Downie was again named Canadian Newsmaker of the Year for the second year in a row, in recognition of the public reaction to his death. Downie, along with his Tragically Hip bandmates, was appointed a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

on June 19, 2017, for "their contribution to Canadian music and for their support of various social and environmental causes". In December 2017, Percy Hatfield, the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) representing Windsor—Tecumseh introduced the bill ''Poet Laureate of Ontario Act In Memory of Gord Downie'' to the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Member of Provincial ...

. It was passed in December 2019, establishing the Poet Laureate of Ontario.

Cancer diagnosis and farewell tour

In December 2015, shortly after attending his father's funeral, Downie was diagnosed with a terminal

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and second ...

. The Tragically Hip announced his diagnosis on their website on May 24, 2016. Doctors at Toronto's

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC), commonly known as Sunnybrook Hospital or simply Sunnybrook, is an academic health science centre located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest trauma centre in Canada and one of two trauma cen ...

confirmed the same day that it was a

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ...

, which had responded favourably to radiation and chemotherapy treatment but was not curable. Downie toured with the band in summer 2016 to support '' Man Machine Poem'', the band's 13th studio album. The tour's final concert was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20 and was broadcast and streamed live by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

on television, radio and internet. It was viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people. The tour was profiled in the 2017 documentary film ''

Long Time Running ''Long Time Running'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. The film profiles the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip during their Man Machine Poem Tour of 2016,Jennifer Baichwal Jennifer Baichwal is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer and producer. Biography Baichwal was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Victoria, British Columbia.

and

Nicholas de Pencier Nicholas de Pencier is a Canadian cinematographer and filmmaker. The spouse and professional partner of filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal in Mercury Films, he is the cinematographer and producer on most of her films as well as codirector of the films '' ...

. The final concert was released on DVD under the title ''A National Celebration'' on December 24, 2017.

''Secret Path''

In September 2016, Downie announced he would release a new solo album, '' Secret Path'' in October."Gord Downie to release solo album, graphic novel next month"

CTV News CTV News is the news division of the CTV Television Network in Canada. The name ''CTV News'' is also applied as the title of local and regional newscasts on the network's owned-and-operated stations (O&Os), which are closely tied to the national ...

, September 9, 2016. The album was accompanied by a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

on which he collaborated with Jeff Lemire, and an animated television film which aired on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

. He also performed a few live shows to support the album, with supporting musicians

Kevin Drew Kevin Drew (born September 9, 1976) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene. He was also part of the lesser-known KC Accidental, which con ...

Charles Spearin Charles Spearin is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist from Toronto, Ontario. He is primarily known as a founding member of indie rock bands Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene. Career As a teen, Spearin studied at Etobicoke School of the A ...

Dave Hamelin Dave Hamelin (born October 3, 1980) is a Canadian musician, songwriter and producer known for his work with indie rock band the Stills. Originally the band's drummer, he moved to guitar and co-lead vocalist in 2005 when guitarist Greg Paquet le ...

Kevin Hearn Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics. Early life Hearn ...

and Josh Finlayson. At the

6th Canadian Screen Awards The 6th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 11, 2018, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2017.

in 2018, Downie posthumously won two Canadian Screen Awards for the television version of ''Secret Path''. The program won the Donald Brittain Award for Best Political or Social Documentary Program and Best Music in a Non-Fiction Program. At the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019, two additional awards were won by ''Gord Downie's Secret Path in Concert'', the CBC Television broadcast of Downie's 2016 Roy Thomson Hall performance of the album.

''Introduce Yerself''

In September 2017, Downie announced what would be his final solo double-album titled '' Introduce Yerself''; it was released on October 27, 2017, ten days after Downie's death. At the Juno Awards of 2018, the album won the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

for Adult Alternative Album of the Year, Downie and Drew won Songwriter of the Year for "A Natural", "Introduce Yerself" and "The North", and Downie won the Artist of the Year. In a tribute to Downie at the Juno Awards ceremony,

Sarah Harmer Sarah Harmer (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist. Early life Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sist ...

, Dallas Green and

performed a medley of the album's title track with the Tragically Hip song " Bobcaygeon".

Personal life

Downie was married to Laura Leigh Usher, herself a breast cancer survivor. They had four children. Downie and Usher separated in 2015 before Downie's cancer diagnosis. They were not divorced at the time of Downie's death and had remained close friends. Under the stage name Kaya Usher, she released her own debut album as a singer, ''All This Is'', in 2021 with the participation of two of their four children, and some of the tracks feature Usher performing with a guitar that had once belonged to Downie. Downie was the godson of

Harry Sinden Harry James Sinden (born September 14, 1932) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He served as a coach, general manager, and team president for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL), and was the coach of ...

, a former hockey coach, general manager and president of the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making ...

Death and reactions

Downie died of

, a type of brain cancer, on October 17, 2017, at the age of 53 in Toronto. The surviving members of the Tragically Hip made the news of his death public the next morning, by sharing an official statement from his family on their website: Upon hearing the news, Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...

released a tribute statement on his official website. Later in the day, he held a press conference at

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...

at which he tearfully remembered Downie as "Our buddy Gord, who loved this country with everything he had—and not just loved it in a nebulous, 'Oh, I love Canada' way. He loved every hidden corner, every story, every aspect of this country that he celebrated his whole life." Canadian MP

Tony Clement Tony Peter Clement (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian former federal politician and former Member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ontario. Before entering federal politics, Clement served as an Ontario cabinet minister, including ...

called upon the government to consider holding a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of ...

for Downie, stating "I think he matters that much to Canadians." The

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

observed a moment of silence. Downie was widely mourned in Canada. The CBC news broadcast, The National, spent 40 of its sixty-minute broadcast discussing Gord and The Hip. Several prominent Canadians, including actors

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

and Seth Rogen, Toronto mayor John Tory, singers k.d. lang and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

, rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

, and the rock group Rush, remembered Downie on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Additionally, several

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

teams and players, as well as the league itself, paid tribute to Downie through social media, owing to the high popularity of the Tragically Hip's music among Canadian professional hockey players. The

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

honoured Downie with a moment of silence before their game on October 18, during which the retired-jersey banner for Bill Barilko – whom Downie had written about in the Tragically Hip song "

Fifty Mission Cap "Fifty Mission Cap" is a song by Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip. It was released in January 1993 as the second single from the band's third full-length album, ''Fully Completely''. It was first played in front of a live concert audience at ...

" – was lowered from the rafters of the

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Ra ...

. Residents of the Ontario village of Bobcaygeon, which Downie had written about in the song of the same name, held a candlelight vigil for him the night after his death; a large public gathering also took place at Springer Market Square in the band's hometown of Kingston. In Kingston, Mayor

Bryan Paterson Bryan Paterson (born March 16, 1977) is a Canadian politician serving as the 96th and current Mayor of Kingston, Ontario. Career Paterson is an economics professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. Mayor Paterson became mayor of Kings ...

issued a statement, laid a wreath in Springer Market Square near City Hall, and signed a condolence banner. Kingston Transit buses displayed "GORD, WE'LL MISS YOU" on their electronic destination signs, alternately with the regular route number and name display. Canadian radio stations responded heavily to Downie's death, with early figures indicating the band's radio airplay on October 18 increased 1,500 percent compared to a normal day. Most rock radio stations dropped regular programming to shift to an all-Tragically Hip format for the day,"'I'd wish for more of this,' Ottawans' tributes to Gord Downie keep coming"
''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The news ...

'', October 19, 2017. and some further announced that they would continue the all-Hip format through the weekend until the morning of 23 October. Several stations, including CHEZ-FM in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, CFRQ-FM in Halifax, CJRQ-FM in

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal el ...

,"The Tragically Hip Week: Celebrating the Life of Gord Downie"
CJRQ-FM, October 18, 2017. CJQQ-FM in

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

, CKEZ-FM in New Glasgow and CIKR-FM in the Tragically Hip's hometown of Kingston dropped their regular names to temporarily rebrand themselves as "Gord FM". Stations in other formats, such as contemporary hit radio, adult contemporary or country music, typically did not suspend their normal playlists, but still added some Tragically Hip songs to the day's rotation. "

Ahead by a Century "Ahead by a Century" is a song by Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, ''Trouble at the Henhouse''. The song reached number one on Canada's singles chart, and is the band's ...

" was the single most-played song on Canadian radio on the day Downie's death was announced. CBC Radio preempted some of its regular programming in favour of a Downie tribute special hosted by Rich Terfry; although news of Downie's death broke just 20 minutes before airtime, CBC Radio One's entertainment magazine show '' Q'' dropped its planned lineup in favour of a live Downie tribute special. In the wake of Downie's death,

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

rescheduled the planned broadcast premiere of ''

Long Time Running ''Long Time Running'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. The film profiles the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip during their Man Machine Poem Tour of 2016,Jennifer Baichwal Jennifer Baichwal is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer and producer. Biography Baichwal was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Victoria, British Columbia.

and

about the Man Machine Poem Tour of 2016, from November 12 to October 20.

broadcast his solo Roy Thomson Hall concert of ''Secret Path'' on October 22. Arjun Sahgal, an oncologist with the Sunnybrook Hospital who had been involved in treating Downie after his cancer diagnosis, lauded Downie's strength and courage in continuing to tour, make music and use his fame to publicize both cancer awareness and indigenous reconciliation issues, and called Downie "a

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money ...

in the modern day".

Posthumous archival releases

In 2018, two recordings by Downie, "The East Wind" and "At the Quinte Hotel", were released on the compilation album ''

The Al Purdy Songbook ''Al Purdy Was Here'' is a Canadian documentary film, released in 2015.Away Is Mine'', an album comprising the last songs Downie recorded in his lifetime, will be released on October 16.Jesse Kinos-Goodin
"Listen to 2 songs from Gord Downie's final solo recording, Away is Mine"

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, September 21, 2020. The album is co-written with Josh Finlayson, a frequent collaborator, and is accompanied with an acoustic version of all the produced tracks. Also, a series of music videos for all the songs on the album were created by Canadian artists and released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. In October 2022, the song "Lustre Parfait" was released to streaming services as a preview of an album collecting various previously unreleased songs that Downie had recorded with Bob Rock. The album, to be titled ''

Lustre Parfait ''Lustre Parfait'' is a studio album by Gord Downie and Bob Rock, slated for release May 5, 2023 on Arts & Crafts Productions.Alex Hudson"Gord Downie and Bob Rock's Collaborative Album Gets Release Date, New Single" ''Exclaim!'', November 22, 2022 ...

'', is slated for release in May 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

* ''Our Power'' (2006): "Figment ( Acoustic version)"

Singles

* "Vancouver Divorce" (2001) * "Chancellor" (2001) * "Pascal's Submarine" (2003) * "Figment" (2003) * " Sleeping Sickness" by

(2008) * "The East Wind" (2010) * "The Dance and Its Disappearance" (2010) * "Crater" (with

) (2014) * "The Stranger" (2016) * "Introduce Yerself" (2017) * "Hotel Worth" (2020) * "Lustre Parfait" (2022) * "The Raven and the Red-Tailed Hawk" (2022)

Music videos

* "Chancellor" (2001) * "Pascal's Submarine" (2003) * "11th Fret" (2003) * "The East Wind" (2010) * "Crater" (2014) * "The Stranger" (2016) * "Secret Path" (documentary and full animated film) (2016)

Music videos for Away is Mine (2020)

* "Hotel Worth" * "Useless Nights" * "I Am Lost" * "About Blank" * "River Don't Care" * "The Least Impossible" * "Traffic Is Magic" * "Away Is Mine" * "No Solace" * "Untitled"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Downie, Gordon 1964 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Canadian male singers Canadian rock singers Canadian songwriters Canadian people of Scottish descent Musicians from Kingston, Ontario Writers from Kingston, Ontario Queen's University at Kingston alumni The Tragically Hip members Zoë Records artists Deaths from brain cancer in Canada Deaths from glioblastoma Canadian graphic novelists Canadian male novelists Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian male singers Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year winners Members of the Order of Canada Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year winners Canadian Screen Award winners Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners