Gord Downie Dies

Gord Downie, singer of The Tragically Hip, died of complications from brain cancer Tuesday night at the age of 53. His death was announced in a statement from his family.

Born in Kingston, Ontario, Downie loved playing hockey and became a lifelong fan of the Boston Bruins, which was strengthened by his godfather, Harry Sinden, serving as the team's coach and general manager.

But he loved music and songwriting even more.

Formed in 1984, the Hip, as the band is commonly called, became one of Canada's premiere groups with hits such as "Wheat Kings," "Bobcaygeon" and "Ahead by a Century."

In the first week of January 2016, the Canadian singer-songwriter Gord Downie paid a visit to the Bathouse, the recording complex that his band, the Tragically Hip, owns in a small town outside Toronto. Rising early each morning, he put on a snowsuit and walked a short distance from the studio to the frozen shores of Lake Ontario, where he sat and hand-wrote lyrics in the cold.

About 10 days earlier, Mr. Downie had told friends that he had an aggressive, deadly form of brain cancer, which ultimately ended his life on Tuesday night at 53. Nearly six more months would pass before he shared the news of his illness with the public, in May 2016, followed by a short summer tour with the Hip, as the band is known, whose emotional finalewas watched by millions worldwide. But first, Mr. Downie wanted to make one more album.

“Gord knew this day was coming,” Mr. Downie’s family said in a statement Wednesday. “His response was to spend this precious time as he always had — making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss … on the lips.”

The solo album that Mr. Downie spent his final months working on — “Introduce Yerself,” due out Oct. 27 — is a strikingly intimate record of an artist processing the shock of his own mortality. In this sense, it stands alongside recent farewells like David Bowie’s “Blackstar” and Leonard Cohen’s “You Want It Darker,” both released just days or weeks before those artists’ deaths. But as with much of Mr. Downie’s finest work with the Hip, there’s a feeling of specificity that sets it apart: The lyrics he wrote for its 23 tracks aren’t metaphors or prayers but detailed love letters addressed to friends, family members, old flames and other key figures from his life.