Toronto • The widely revered lead singer and songwriter of iconic Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip has died. Gord Downie was 53.
Downie became a part of Canada's national identity with about hockey, small towns and the country's literature.
A statement on the band's website says he died Tuesday night "with his beloved children and family close by." The statement did not give a cause of death, though he had been diagnosed earlier with brain cancer.
Since The Tragically Hip's first album in 1987, the band has provided a soundtrack for the lives of many Canadians.