MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 20: Leonard Cohen performs live for fans at Rod Laver Arena on November 20, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/WireImage)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Leonard Cohen, the gravelly-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter of “Hallelujah,” ”Suzanne” and “Bird on a Wire,” has died at age 82.
Cohen’s management said in a statement Thursday that he has passed away, and a memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. No further details on his death were given.
Cohen, also renowned as a poet, novelist and aspiring Zen monk, blended folk music with a darker, sexual edge that won him fans around the world as well as among fellow musicians like Bob Dylan and R.E.M.
He remained wildly popular into his 80s. He toured as recently as earlier this year and released a new album just last month.
His “Hallelujah” became a cult hit when it was covered by musician Jeff Buckley in 1994 and has become a modern standard.
