Leonard Cohen dead: Musician's poignant reflections on death in one of his final interviews

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Leonard Cohen, one of the most renowned musicians, singer-songwriters and poets, has died aged 82.

An official statement on his Facebook page paid tribute to the “prolific visionary” without revealing the Canadian singer’s cause of death.

But in one of his final interviews, the “godfather of gloom” spoke about the preparations he had undertaken to ensure the well-being of his loved ones in anticipation of his passing.

As a celebrated musician famed for the sense of melancholy he would weave throughout his songs, he spoke calmly and with lucidity about death during an interview with the New Yorker. “I am ready to die,” he said. “I hope it’s not too uncomfortable. That’s about it for me.”

“At a certain point, if you still have your marbles and are not faced with serious financial challenges, you have a chance to put your house in order. It’s a cliché, but it’s underestimated as an analgesic on all levels.”

His concerns were about tying up his financial affairs to ensure his family secure once he had gone.

“I’ve had a family to support, so there’s no sense of virtue attached to it,” he said. “I’ve never sold widely enough to be able to relax about money. I had two kids and their mother to support and my own life. So there was never an option of cutting out. Now it’s a habit. And there’s the element of time, which is powerful, with its incentive to finish up. Now I haven’t gotten near finishing up. I’ve finished up a few things. I don’t know how many other things I’ll be able to get to.”

A memorial will take place in Los Angeles later this month.