Leonard Cohen, iconic musician and one of the greatest lyricists of our lifetimes, is dead at 82. While we settle in to listen to “Chelsea Hotel #2” for the rest of the night and prepare to hunt for rare vinyl copies of his work this weekend, the world mourns the loss of yet another talented and beloved musician in 2016.
Reactions from Cohen’s devoted fans and other’s around the music world ranged from quoting his lyrics without further comment due to the sense of loss, or commenting on how his music affected their lives directly. It will be a long time before the world sees another poet quite like Cohen, so able to write and compose music that gets to the heart of the human experience at the highest level.
https://twitter.com/dreamoforgonon/status/796894808635805696
NO!!!!!!! https://t.co/aoZ2cljG8K
— Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) November 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/Scaachi/status/796893471483326464
This is heartbreaking. Can't help but feel grateful for the tower of song he leaves behind. https://t.co/q1asV1RF7U
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 11, 2016
"Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried, in my way, to be free."
-Leonard Cohen— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 11, 2016
Going home without my sorrow,
Going home sometime tomorrow,
Going home to where it's better than before
RIP, Leonard.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) November 11, 2016
"Act the way you'd like to be and soon you'll be the way you act" RIP Leonard Cohen
— Nina Garcia (@ninagarcia) November 11, 2016
RIP Leonard Cohen.
"Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied."— Gary Shteyngart (@Shteyngart) November 11, 2016
Gonna pull out my Complete Leonard Cohen box set and cry my way through another goddamn obituary. You were a master, Mr. Cohen. Farewell.
— Benjamin Rayner (@IhateBenRayner) November 11, 2016
Oh god. The world got too depressing for even Leonard Cohen to stay alive.
— Arnie Niekamp (@misterarnie) November 11, 2016
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.
~ Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) pic.twitter.com/BSpogvejC5— Nancy Kricorian (@nancykric) November 11, 2016
Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat” is a near-perfect execution of the craft of songwriting. I’ll be chasing it for the rest of my life.
— Jonathan Coulton (@jonathancoulton) November 11, 2016
Leonard Cohen was a rarity: a great artist who was also, in my experience/perception, a wholly admirable man.
— Glenn Kenny (@Glenn__Kenny) November 11, 2016
I so hope Leonard Cohen lives up to his persona and insists that "Hallelujah" not be played at his funeral in favor of "All Star"
— Nathan Rabin (@nathanrabin) November 11, 2016
It looks like freedom but it feels like death, it's something in between I guess. It's closing time. RIP you beautiful poet Leonard Cohen 💔
— Sarah Dunsworth-Nickerson 🐝 (@SarahDunsworth) November 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/beardedstoner/status/796892509259632640
Thank you Leonard Cohen 🙏🏻
Swift rebirth my friend.— k.d. lang (@kdlang) November 11, 2016
Leonard Cohen died and I don't blame him.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) November 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/ThatEricAlper/status/796896507110838272
https://twitter.com/joywilliams/status/796897413940346880
And someone who is dealing with his own endless grief right now chimed in as well. Unsurprisingly, he was able to put the pain of this particular celebrity death into perfect words.
Leonard Cohen dying is so goddamned symbolic right now. You just don't let up, do you 2016?
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) November 11, 2016
Everybody should be proud at how few people are quoting “Hallelujah” in their goodbyes to Leonard. It will most likely be played in his honor more than enough, so maybe it’s best if people tone down the overuse of it to say farewell to him right now.
