Best known for his works in folk and country music, Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian musician. He was an internationally famous singer and songwriter and also a guitarist and sources claim that Gordon Lightfoot net worth had a whopping $40 million at the time of his death.
Lightfoot has decades-long experience in the field and is often regarded as one of Canada’s greatest songwriters. He played a very huge part in defining the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 70s and his songs were recorded by some of the most renowned artists in the world.
It shocked and saddened the world at the same time on May 1, Monday when the news about the death of Gordon Lightfoot made the headlines. The news about the death of the musician was confirmed through a note posted from his verified social media handle.
According to available information, Gordon Lightfoot passed away on May 1, 2023, Monday at a hospital in Toronto. While the reason behind his death was not announced officially, it is said that Lightfoot passed away due to natural causes. At the time of his death, he was 84 years old.
As the news about the death of Gordon Lightfoot made headlines, many prominent personalities, including the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau expressed their condolences through social media platforms.
Throughout his successful career as a musician, Gordon Lightfoot has played in almost all major countries, and he cites artists like Pete Seeger, Bob Gibson, and Ian and Sylvia Tyson as his inspirations and interest in the genre of folk music.
Who Is Gordon Lightfoot?
Often regarded as an artist who defined the sound of the folk-pop genre in the 1960s and 70s, Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian musician and is often regarded as one of the greatest musicians in the country.
Born on November 17, 1938, Gordon Lightfoot is the son of Jessie Vick Trill Lightfoot and Gordon Lightfoot Sr. Right from his childhood, Lightfoot was interested in music and it was his mother who helped him realize and develop his talent.
Lightfoot is no stranger to the stage as he had been performing right from the fourth grade. Throughout his childhood, he appeared on stage as a singer for different programs in his school and in his church too.
As a teenager, Lightfoot also mastered different instruments like the piano and he even taught himself to play drums and percussion.
During his long and successful career in music, Lightfoot had to endure difficulties regarding his health and even underwent serious surgery. He remained in the hospital for quite some time even after his surgery and made a comeback to music.
With such high success in his career, Lightfoot also earned quite a number of awards and honors throughout his career. Even after his death, there is no doubt in saying that Gordon Lightfoot will remain a legend and will live in the hearts of music lovers for years to come.
Gordon Lightfoot Net Worth
Gordon Lightfoot is considered one of the greatest musicians ever in the genre of folk and folk-pop.
He had been active in the field of music since 1958 and throughout his career which spans over six decades, Gordon Lightfoot has released and written so many songs that were a huge hit during those days.
His songs have also made the hit lists of Billboard charts too. With such a long and successful career in music, Gordon Lightfoot net worth is estimated to be around $40 million at the time of his death.
The major source of Gordon Lightfoot net worth is his career as a musician. He earned the majority of his wealth through the music he made and the songs he wrote. Most of the albums made by Lightfoot gained Gold or platinum status, which meant that the albums were huge hits among music lovers.
Even though Lightfoot was active in the field since 1950, he started his professional recording career in the 1960s. Around ten years into his career, Lightfoot was at the peak of success and popularity by the 1970s. Even though Lightfoot had to take a break from the industry for a while he was very much active until last year.
Along with the popularity and success of his albums, another source Lightfoot generated a considerable income was through cover songs.
Having made some of the most loved and successful folk-pop songs, many of the songs by Lightfoot were covered by different artists. The popularity and success of those songs only meant good news for Lightfoot too.
Along with the hit albums and song covers, Gordon Lightfoot was also known for the tours that he conducted for his fans. He toured heavily and even at the age of 80, nothing held him back from performing on stage at different locations.
Gordon Lightfoot also released an album in 202 which was titled Solo and he even conducted a tour in 2022. Lightfoot also planned to continue his tour in 2023 but it was later canceled due to different reasons.
Even though all of the songs by Lightfoot were not a massive hit, many of his songs were offered by legendary artists and he also made frequent live performances. Combined with the massive hit songs from his career, Gordon Lightfoot was able to earn a net worth of $40 million.
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Gordon Lightfoot – Personal Life And Relationships
Throughout his lifetime, the musician got married three times. He first got married to a Swedish woman named Brits Ingegerd Olaisson in 1963. The couple stayed together for almost 10 years and had two children from their marriage. The children were named Fred and Ingrid. Olaisson and Lightfoot got divorced in 1973 and the reason behind their divorce was said to be because of his infidelity.
After getting divorced from his first wife, Lightfoot remained unmarried for almost 16 years. During these years, he had relationships with different women and he also had two children with different women during this period. The children were named Gaylen McGee and Eric Lightfoot.
Gordon Lightfoot decided to get aerie for the second time in his life in 1989. He got married to Elizabeth Moon in 1989 and the couple had two children from the marriage and they were named Miles and Meredith. The couple stayed separated for almost nine years and finally got divorced in 2011.
In 2014, Lightfoot got married for a third time and the name of his wife was Kim Hasse.
Gordon Lightfoot faced a few problems regarding his health in his lifetime. Once, he was admitted to hospital after a severe surgery and it made him take a break from his musical career.
Even though he was more than eighty years old, Lightfoot made sure that his health was in good condition and he used to visit the gym for almost six days a week. But around mid-April 2023, the health of Lightfoot was not in good condition and he was forced to cancel the remainder of his 2023 tour.
Gordon Lightfoot – Awards And Honors
Gordon Lightfoot has a career that spans over six decades, with multiple albums that have God and platinum status. Throughout his career, Lightfoot has received a number of awards and other recognitions for his valuable contribution to the field of music, especially in the folk-pop genre.
Lightfoot has won around 16 Juno awards throughout his entire career, both as a singer and also as a composer. He was also nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards a total of five times. He was also given the title of Canadian Male Singer of the Decade in 1980.
Gordon Lightfoot got inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 following the massive success that he had in the field of music. Around a decade later, Lightfoot’s talent was again recognized and honored by inducting him into Canada’s Walk of Fame, in 1998 to be exact.
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Later, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame also inducted Lightfoot in 2001. He also received an honorary degree from Trent University in 1979 and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
Most recently, Lightfoot was honored by the American Academy of Achievement in 2022 by awarding him the Golden Plate Award.