Gordon Lightfoot performs during the evening ceremonies of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, in Ottawa, Ontario, on July 1, 2017. The legendary folk singer-songwriter, whose hits including “Early Morning Rain,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told a tale of Canadian identity that was exported worldwide, died on Monday, May 1, 2023, at a Toronto hospital, according to a family representative. He was 84. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO (AP) — Legendary folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has died. He was one of the most renowned voices to come from Toronto’s Yorkville folk club scene in the 1960s. He penned hundreds of songs, including “Carefree Highway,” “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Once called a “rare talent” by Bob Dylan, Lightfoot wrote deeply autobiographical lyrics and explored issues surrounding the Canadian national identity. His works have been covered by many artists, including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte and Johnny Cash. A family representative said Lightfoot died at a Toronto hospital Monday. He was 84. The cause of death wasn’t immediately available.