Look Away, Leonard: World Mourns Death Of Leonard Cohen, 1934-2016.

Though some of his die-hard fans were probably wondering if their hero really did have some magical ability to live forever, the great poet and singer, Leonard Cohen, died this past Tuesday.  On this week, of all weeks, the news enters an already emotionally heavy global landscape, as many of his fans are still struggling to process the surprise election victory of Donald Trump.  Fellow musician Beth Orton put it best:

"Leonard Cohen dying this week is a grief I can process. His leaving makes perfect sense when so little else does. One last poetic statement. A full stop. He is our spiritual leader and one I can follow. In his death, he feels closer than ever. He embodies love and kindness, peace and power. His voice has always been the salve for my broken spirit. His final act of kindness was to be present by his passing this week when we need a voice of reason in the face of mounting insanity and confusion. To remind us of the beauty that exists alongside the imperfection in this world. I am eternally grateful for his existence and his music. He has always resonated on the astral and the earthly planes. Now more so than ever. Beautiful man … you will be deeply and endlessly missed and you will always be with us."

Some other thoughtful words on Leonard Cohen from  Nick Cave, Beck, and actor Toby Stephens are printed below.

"For many of us Leonard Cohen was the greatest songwriter of them all. Utterly unique and impossible to imitate no matter how hard we tried. He will be deeply missed by so many." -Nick Cave

" So long Leonard, thank you for your words, your songs, your life-- a gentleman a master a hero-- thank you for looking so deeply, for sharing your time giving us your finely wrought diamonds, for lighting the dark corners where the soul lives, for translating the otherness we recognize but fail to express, tonight we celebrate you and send you our gratitude." - Beck

And.... a bit of dark humor the bard no doubt would have appreciated:

"#LeonardCohen - When the barbarians broke down the gates, you snuck out the back door. Good timing. RIP. I will miss your honest voice." -tweet by Toby Stephens

Here is some audio from David Remnick of The New Yorker, who spent several days with Leonard this past summer.  His article about Cohen and his last album You Want It Darker shares wonderful new stories and anecdotes from the poet's life.    Below is a wonderful audio segment   from his time with Leonard Cohen, sessions that turned out to be the great poet's last interview:

-CLINT SABOM