Staff outside the Orillia Opera House change signage to honour Gordon Lightfoot in Orillia, Ont., on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. A public visitation for Gordon Lightfoot has been set for Sunday in the folk singer-songwriter's Orillia, Ont., hometown. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Drost
TORONTO – A public visitation for Gordon Lightfoot is scheduled for Sunday in the folk singer’s Orillia, Ont., hometown.
The family of the late Canadian musician, who died Monday at 84, says people can pay their respects at St. Paul’s United Church from 1 to 8 p.m.
A private funeral will be held at a later date in Orillia where Lightfoot will be buried.
The death notice provided by the family calls Lightfoot “one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of his generation” and a “national treasure.”
It describes Lightfoot’s songs as having “become part of the Canadian cultural fabric, earning him legions of fans at home and around the globe.”
Memorial donations can be made to the United Way at the Mundell Funeral Home in Orillia.
Messages of condolence can be left at mundellfuneralhome.com, where service details are posted.
After Lightfoot’s death on Monday, Orillia residents began placing flowers at a bronze statue of the singer in a local city park. The city lowered its flags to half-mast and books of condolences were available at the Orillia Opera House and Orillia City Centre.
Lightfoot is survived by wife Kim Lightfoot; children Fred, Ingrid, Eric, Galen, Miles and Meredith; as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2023.
