Singer Leonard Cohen dead at 82

The news was confirmed by the music icon’s label Sony Music Canada on the singer’s Facebook.

Renowned singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen, who penned the haunting classic Hallelujah, has died aged 82.

The posting says Cohen’s family has requested privacy “during their time of grief”. No cause of death has been announced. Adam Cohen said his father died with the knowledge that he’d made one of his greatest records.

“Among them are Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell and Phil Ochs”.

His 14th studio album, “You Want It Darker”, had just been released on October 21.

Born in 1934 in Westmount, Quebec into a middle-class Jewish family, Cohen soon developed an admiration for the poetry of Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca and a fondness for American country music.

During a seven-year spell there, he wrote “Flowers for Hitler”, one of his most controversial poetry collections, his first novel “The Favorite Game”, and “Beautiful Losers”, a book about religion and sexuality that prompted comparisons to novelist James Joyce.

A rather explicit narration of an encounter with Janis Joplin, this song immortalised Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Having started as a writer, he adapted quickly to writing in the music format and became revered as a songwriter. “If that’s the case, it must not apply to Leonard Cohen”.

Hallelujah, his most widely-known piece was released in 1984, featured in the album Various Positions. His eleventh album, Dear Heather, followed in 2004.

In 2006, Cohen won a lawsuit against his former manager, Kelley Lynch, whom he alleged stole more than $5 million of his retirement money while he was in seclusion at the Zen center. He continued to record as well, releasing “Old Ideas” (2012) and “Popular Problems”, which hit U.S. shops a day after his eightieth birthday.

Cohen toured widely but also sought solace in meditation, far from the public eye. But now, I just want to wish you a very good journey.

Cohen went through another tortured ordeal two decades later when he wrote “Hallelujah”, which took him three years and 70 drafts to complete.

“I was the cook up there”, he said. I hope it’s not too uncomfortable. “That’s about it for me”.

Other versions of note include a gorgeous Yiddish version, with loosely – and creatively – translated lyrics, by Berlin-based singer-songwriter Daniel Kahn; and the English singer Kathryn Williams, who brings purity and elegance to the song.

“Uh, I said I was ready to die recently”, Cohen told an audience during a listening party in Los Angeles for the new album. “I intend to live forever”. The world has one less gentle soul tonight.