[Gordon] Lightfoot responds to death reports: 'I'm fine'

CBCNews.ca ^ | February 18, 2010 | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot said he was at the dentist when he heard on the radio that he was dead.

The folk legend, whose hits include If You Could Read My Mind, Sundown and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, took the news lightheartedly and was soon on the phone with Toronto-based all-news station CP24.

"I'm fine, everything is good. I don't know where it comes from. It seems like a bit of a hoax or something," the 71-year-old singer said. "I was quite surprised to hear [it] myself.

"I haven't had so much airplay on my music now for weeks."

The initial reports of Lightfoot's death appeared on Canwest news sites on Thursday afternoon, spreading instantaneously across many blogs and Twitter posts.

The report was discovered to be untrue within minutes of the news being posted.

B.C. Fiedler Management, Lightfoot's concert tour promoters, put out a quick statement proclaiming Lightfoot "is alive and in good health" and that the report was "false and completely without merit."

"This is just an unfortunate prank," said promoter Bernie Fiedler.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2010/02/18/lightfoot-alive.html?ref=rss#ixzz0fwPwMDBO

[snip]

[Daffynition]

[the invisib1e hand]

he was at the dentist when he heard on the radio that he was dead.

Impossible. Old rock 'n' rollers never die.

Rock on, Mr. Lightfoot.

[WashingtonSource]

He hasn’t aged well. He looks like he’s in his 90s.

[a fool in paradise]

"Abe Vigoda says 'Me too!', celebrating 30 years of false death rumors"

[a fool in paradise]

I was going to say he looks like Dick Smothers...

[RightOnline]

I love the guy. Fabulous voice, songwriting.

Spoken by an old rock guitarist here, by the way.

[a fool in paradise]

Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot said he was at the dentist when he heard on the radio that he was dead.

Only his recording career is...

[wally_bert]

Gotta hand it to Abe when it comes to longevity. He was great as TV’s Fish on Barney Miller. The spinoff I only vaguely remember.

[GreenLanternCorps]

I'm not dead yet!

[Daffynition]

Wrote and performed some great ballads. I’m glad he’s still here.

[ansel12]

I want to believe him but he isn’t even a doctor.

[Krankor]

One day when I grew older and I found I could not hold her
She took on a fine young skipper who soon run her up on a boulder

[Daffynition]

“I haven’t had so much airplay on my music now for weeks.”

This was a boost....perhaps planned?

[Viking2002]

Aw, leave Gordon alone. Yeah, he's an old hippie, but he's easier on the ears than Dylan or Guthrie. But what do I know - the last two CD's I bought were by Chickenfoot and Them Crooked Vultures.

[the invisib1e hand]

The spinoff I only vaguely remember.

It had that effect on people. "Fish" wasn't exactly an electric character.

[Wooly]

He underwent surgery for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, and he remained in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Lightfoot endured a six-week coma and a tracheotomy, and he underwent four surgical operations.[13] All of his remaining 2002 concert dates were canceled. More than three months after being taken to the McMaster Medical Center, Lightfoot was released in December to continue his recovery at home.

[reaganaut]

I thought Abe Vigoda was dead too. But he is still even working. Impressive. Spent my childhood watching him on Barney Miller.

[a fool in paradise]

He was on a SuperBowl commercial this year.

[reaganaut]

yeah, I saw that. I was surprised he was still alive.

[Joe 6-pack]

"He hasn’t aged well. He looks like he’s in his 90s."

It's known as the Wreck of the Gordon Lightfoot.