Gord Downie, Tragically Hip singer, has terminal cancer :(

[no fact, no matter]

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/toronto/gord-downie-cancer-1.3596839

Gord Downie, the lead singer and lyricist of the iconic Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip, announced this morning he has terminal brain cancer, but still plans to join his bandmates of more than 30 years for a summer tour.

The band posted the news of Downie's illness on its website this morning and their band manager will release more details at a press conference at Sunnybrook Hospital at 11 a.m.

Downie was diagnosed with the disease in December, the statement says.

"Since then, obviously, he's endured a lot of difficult times, and he has been fighting hard. In privacy along with his family, and through all of this, we've been standing by him."

Downie, 52, and Laura Leigh Usher have four children.

Despite the diagnosis, The Hip announced it will "dig deep" and hit the road together this summer. The details of that tour should be released later this week, according to the band.

"This feels like the right thing to do now, for Gord, and for all of us," group members said in their statement. "What we in The Hip receive, each time we play together, is a connection; with each other; with music and it's magic; and during the shows, a special connection with all of you, our incredible fans."

 

[Lord of The Curry]

I'm fucking heartbroken. The headline might as well have said that Canada itself has brain cancer. Gord is this country. Best frontman we've ever had.

[treble]

Holy shit.

[Lord of The Curry]

All of Canada cried and sang together last night. Man, I dunno. It was tough and beautiful and so many other things.

 

[treble]

It was amazingly well done, too. It was like watching a concert DVD and CBC gave them almost 3 hours commercial free in the middle of the Olympics.

[Lord of The Curry]

Yeah people give the CBC shit for a lot of stuff and some of it is justified but the whole thing was perfect. No commercials, commentary, none of it.

 

[The Paper Industry]

11 million people in Canada, or a third of the country watched/listened to this concert. That combines radio, online, TV, etc.

I mean, I can't think of anything comparable off the top of my head historically, let alone something to pull those kinds of numbers in the modern fractured digital age. Whatever was like that historically probably wasn't a band giving a farewell concert either. Relic of a soon-to-be lost era.

[Lord of The Curry]

That's insane. Is there anything even remotely comparable at least music-wise? I'm sure culturally there are big things like America with the Super Bowl, South America with the World Cup etc.

[Captain of Outer Space]

I feel like this has been flying under the radar as one of the great Hip songs.

[Lord of The Curry]

For fans of the band I would highly recommend downloading the Jan 1st edition of The Strombo Show. It's four hours long and is a Hip tribute with covers by all Canadian bands and artists. Blue Rodeo, Stars, The Darcy's, Arkells, DFA1979, Sarah Harmer.....it's incredible.

[The Paper Industry]

I thought he died.

[Lord of The Curry]

Nope. That'll be a national day of mourning when it happens.

[O.G.]

Nope. That'll be a national day of mourning when it happens.

Yah, let's not even talk about that.

[The Paper Industry]

...you did it again.

[Lord of The Curry]

RIP Gord. Passed away last night.