More than a hundred mourners gathered outside the Montreal home of beloved Canadian musician Leonard Cohen in the hours after the singer's family announced his passing Thursday at age 82. They lit candles, strummed guitars and laid flowers at the world-renowned musician鈥檚 doorstep on Rue Vallieres in the city鈥檚 Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood.
The influential poet, writer, composer, singer and activist was born and raised in the Montreal suburb of Westmount. Cohen attended McGill University and considered a legal career before pursuing music.
Cohen maintained a close connection to the city even as he became more famous. CTV Montreal鈥檚 Amanda Kline reported on Thursday that fans prayed, hugged and shed tears for Cohen well into the night.
One self-proclaimed 鈥淟eonard Cohen superfan,鈥� Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi, told Kline that he lives around the corner from the musician鈥檚 home and that he always sings Cohen鈥檚 music when he walks by it.
鈥淗im being Canadian and from Montreal kind of hits home,鈥� Eshraghi-Yazdi said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why we came down. I think it鈥檚 what you do when you grieve for someone you didn鈥檛 know but affected your life so profoundly.鈥�
Another mourner told Kline that her and her boyfriend鈥檚 shared love for Cohen鈥檚 music was what brought the couple together. One group of sombre fans stood in group and recited a prayer in his memory.
Montreal鈥檚 mayor, Denis Coderre, night that the city鈥檚 flags would fly at half-mast to honour the hometown legend.
As more and more flowers and candles amassed on the stairs of the musician鈥檚 doorstep, a simple homemade sign fastened to his door with letters spelling out 鈥淗allelujah,鈥� one of Cohen鈥檚 most-classic songs, peacefully blew in the evening鈥檚 chilly wind. Another sign taped to a lamppost nearby read, 鈥淢ontreal Leonard Forever. RIP鈥� with a heart drawn on it.
