HE IS FINE - the rumour of his death was a mistake!

[charlene]

I just spoke with Bernie Fiedler and the rumour that Lightfoot passed away last night is an internet hoax...

He is fine..

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/...rticle1208760/

SUNDOWN? NOT YET
Gordon Lightfoot very much alive
JAMES ADAMS
Toronto — Globe and Mail Update
Published Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 3:05PM EST
Last updated Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 1:38PM EDT

Canadian folk icon Gordon Lightfoot is alive and well, says the singer's long-time friend, despite rumours to the contrary which spread quickly on Twitter and were picked up by some mainstream media outlets.

"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 folk icon told all-news station CP24.

"I was quite surprised to hear (it) myself."

He went on to joke: "I haven't had so much airplay on my music now for weeks."

Bernie Fiedler, Lightfoot's some-time publicist and road manager, said at 2:40 p.m. ET that the singer-songwriter was very much alive and in Toronto. Indeed, he claimed Lightfoot's secretary had spoken with the artist "just a half-an-hour ago."

Mr. Fiedler claimed in a phone conversation that the death report was "a prank" originating as "a Twitter coming out of Ottawa." He indicated a media release might be issued soon putting the rumour of Mr. Lightfoot's death to rest.

Mr. Fiedler also has been Lightfoot's concert promoter and tour organizer.

A Canwest news service story reported the death Thursday afternoon and quoted singer Ronnie Hawkins, who reportedly confirmed the rumour. The story was published on several websites, including the Vancouver Sun, the Ottawa Citizen and the Calgary Herald, before it was pulled down.

One report had singer Ronnie Hawkins confirming the death.

Mr. Hawkins says he heard the rumour via his management team in the United States, which said they heard it by phone from someone claiming to be Lightfoot's grandson.

"I think they can trace that phone call, maybe, and see who did that," Hawkins said from his home in Peterborough, Ont.

"Oh what a dirty, sick joke that is, but I'm glad it was a sick joke and not the truth."

A spokesman for Canwest did not immediately return calls for comment.

ERRONEOUS REPORT:

http://ow.ly/i/wMO/original

[RM]

Ma'am,

What are you talking about ?

[imported_Ordinary_Man]

I live in Saint Louis and it was reported on our paper's user forum. I googled and a bunch of Canadian news websites said that he had died last night. I am SO VERY glad it is not true.
Am going to see him at the Ryman in March.

Steve

[gretschviking1967]

A friend of mine sent me an email telling me Lightfoot had passed on!!! My heart sank but I am so glad that it was a hoax!!!


Morons on Twitter should really get a friggin' life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT FUNNY!!!!!! IDIOTS!!!!!


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1473102/

[charlene]

Gord was just on the local radio to say he is just fine..
he didn't know why the radio was playing his songs...
most online papers have pulled the story....
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local...4Entertainment

[imported_Ordinary_Man]

I read he was at the dentist when all this stuff hit the fan and driving home was wondering why the radio station was playing all his songs.
I had to laugh at that.

[DJ in MJ]

I'm just glad I heard about the hoax before I heard about the "death".

Delighted he's alive and well, but royally ticked at whomever needed to start such a rumour.

[Acadia]

What a terrible, horrible hoax, thank you Charlene for clearing that up.

[jj]

Originally Posted by gretschviking1967

A friend of mine sent me an email telling me Lightfoot had passed on!!! My heart sank but I am so glad that it was a hoax!!!


Morons on Twitter should really get a friggin' life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT FUNNY!!!!!! IDIOTS!!!!!


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1473102/

WOW,
miss a few days on corfid browsing and the sky falls! (well, even worse)

i dunno what would motivate the rumour, is he still on the no fly list?

i did just read one reader comment under the G+M article (thanks for the link) and somehow got a grin out of it:

"I have to admit I was disappointed after reading the headline. Not disappointed that he wasn't dead, but because I thought the headline was going to lead into a story about a new album. "

hope GL & all here doing well ...still not too late to add GL to the closing ceremonies
j

[jj]

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment...-not-dead?bn=1

Gordon Lightfoot alive and well
By BEN RAYNERPop Music Critic
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010
Gordon Lightfoot, it seems, learned of his own passing much later than most Canadians.

Unbeknownst to the 71-year-old Canadian folk icon, he was declared dead – first by a Twitter poster in Ottawa, then by a plethora of news websites, then by just about every other media outlet in the country – during a visit to his dentist on Thursday afternoon. It was only when he innocently flipped on the radio while driving back to his office that he learned that he was no longer alive. According to some reports, in fact, he had died the night before.

“I was quite surprised to hear it myself,” a good-humoured Lightfoot quipped in a call to CP24 hastily made upon his return to the Early Morning Productions office, where the phones were predictably ringing off the hook. “I’m sitting in my office right now.”

The speed with which Lightfoot’s death and resurrection in the media took place was amazing. At 2:40 p.m. EST, for instance, the Vancouver Sun’s website posted a brief announcing Lightfoot’s death, quoting fellow singer Ronnie Hawkins as saying his old friend had passed away the previous evening. By 2:52, it was gone.

“I’m fine. I’m in great health. I’ve been doing just fine. The whole thing’s a hoax,” said Lightfoot during another call, this one to 680 News, joking that “all of a sudden, my music is in heavy rotation.”

“We’re gonna be getting calls here all afternoon, I’m sure … I really appreciate the concern. I don’t know what to make of it but I hope that we’ll find out. But I’m fine.”

Where the rumours came from is anyone’s guess at this point. Hawkins is certainly baffled.

Reached at his rural-Ontario home, Hawkstone Manor, he called the whole affair “some kind of a sick joke” and graciously accepted the offer from this reporter of Lightfoot’s home phone number, which he’d misplaced, to ring up his old pal and apologize.

Hawkins said he’d received a call from his management office in Minneapolis earlier in the day telling him Lightfoot’s grandson had phoned in to say that the man responsible for such indelible folk tunes as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “Early Morning Rain” had passed away the night before.

“I don’t know Gordon’s grandson. I didn’t even know if Gordon has a grandson,” he said, audibly flustered. “I called my wife in Florida and told her and I guess she faxed some of her friends and now, all of a sudden, it’s all over the world. It’s terrible. I can’t even get ahold of Gordon. Holy smoke, it’s unbelievable.

“It’s a sick joke. I’m glad it is a sick joke, but it’s bad.”

Lightfoot’s longtime manager, Bernie Fiedler, was clearly weary of the whole affair by the end of the afternoon. But at least he used it as an opportunity to promote the singer’s upcoming spring tour, which kicks off in St. John’s on March 29 and 30 and concludes at the John Labatt Centre in London on April 15.

“He’s alive and well,” affirmed Fiedler. “He’s looking forward to his touring.”
too bad the Lloyd Robertson rumour was a hoax...when he does pack it in (and move to FL or wherever) i hope he takes the entire CTV (Olympic) crew with him

[Yuri]

Yikes!!!!
I just had one of those "Where were you when J.F.K., John Lennon,.....died" moments.
Whewwwwww.....

[Yuri]

The Sun has a mini-gallery of photos of an alive & kickin' Gord.
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainm.../12933196.html

[Jesse Joe]

YIKES like Yuri said, I had just seen on TV that Gordon Lightfoot had been reported dead, but it was not true. It got a little scary for 5 to 10 minutes until I came here to his loyal fans to find out what was going on.

~Thanks~

[buzzard]

I was just driving home and on the five o'clock and about five items in, the local news guy said "Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot . . . " And I thought oh-oh. But I was delighted that he went on to say ". . . is dismissing reports of his death which were reported on the internet today. Lightfoot said is much alive and well. He (Lightfoot) said that at least the reports resulted in an increase in the amount of play his music was getting today".

At least he can maintain a sense of humour about the whole thing.

Brian

[charlene]

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2...oot-alive.html

Lightfoot responds to death reports: 'I'm fine'
Last Updated: Thursday, February 18, 2010 | 5:03 PM ET Comments79Recommend38CBC News
Gordon Lightfoot, pictured here in 2005, says he was at the dentist when he heard reports about his death. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)
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.

In fact, the singer's 12-city spring tour of Eastern Canada, Quebec and Ontario kicks off at the end of March starting in St. John's.

Lightfoot has been beset by health problems over the past few years. He suffered a ruptured artery in his stomach in 2002.

One report of the fake death attributed the news to fellow singer Ronnie Hawkins.

Hawkins says he heard the rumour through his management firm in the U.S., which told him that they heard it by phone from someone claiming to be Lightfoot's grandson.

"Oh what a dirty, sick joke that is, but I'm glad it was a sick joke and not the truth," Hawkins said.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2...#ixzz0fvoGHJko


Kenyon called me early this afternoon asking if I knew if the rumour was true. He had heard thru the newswire (he's a journo here in toronto) that Lightfoot had died on Wednesday night. He had called EMP and was told that they had just talked to him 30 minutes earlier. I then called Mr. Fiedler...and thankfully it's all a horrible rumour.

[TC]

Originally Posted by DJ in MJ

I'm just glad I heard about the hoax before I heard about the "death".

Delighted he's alive and well, but royally ticked at whomever needed to start such a rumour.

I had not heard this until just a moment ago. I agree with DJ about hearing about the hoax first. Much easier on the emotions.

TC

[charlene]

Originally Posted by TC

I had not heard this until just a moment ago. I agree with DJ about hearing about the hoax first. Much easier on the emotions.

TC

omigawd you have that right..i'm just now breathing properly...

[charlene]

from the web...

[BILLW]

Well I'm glad I missed that rumor! Thanks for the follow-up Char. Did I ever tell you that you're underpaid?

Bill

Long Live Lightfoot!!! (LLL)

[Gord H]

I just got wind of it myself.. what a bunch of sick jokers!!!! The Hamilton Spectator had a story that Grant Avenue Studios has been working with Lightfoot over the last few weeks making preparations to release a live CD from various concerts from Massey Hall. Hopefully this is indeed true, cuz I will take that if he's not going to put out a new CD of fresh material

[charlene]

Originally Posted by BILLW

Well I'm glad I missed that rumor! Thanks for the follow-up Char. Did I ever tell you that you're underpaid?

Bill

Long Live Lightfoot!!! (LLL)

i'll accept a raise in pay anyday..especially TODAY!!!
lol

I'm visitng a friend -we had been out all day and back at her house @5pm. While I was in the kitchen -she was checking her email and voicemail. So I heard a voicemail message...that Gordon Lightfoot had passed away . Clutching my chest and in near shock...I walked into my friend's office and fortunately she had just read an email informing her it was a hoax...which she very quickly passed along to me before I passed out!

[gretschviking1967]

Man, my heart almost stopped when I was told of this. Good to know I can come here and be amongst friends!


Whew!!!!!!

[gretschviking1967]

"LLL"


Long Live Lightfoot!!!!


I love it!!!

[fezo]

Yeah, I heard the report after i had already heard it wasn't true. Something like a headline GORDON LIGHTFOOT IS STILL ALIVE. Well, anything for a bit more airplay I suppose but what a sicko starting such a thing.