Long line of mourners say farewell to ‘Mr. Canada’ Gordon Lightfoot in Orillia

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ORILLIA, Ont. — Hundreds of Gordon Lightfoot’s fans joined his closest family, friends and bandmates on Sunday at a public visitation in his hometown.

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And where better to hold the service than at his old stomping grounds, St. Paul’s United Church in Orillia — about a two-hour drive north of Toronto — where one of Canada’ finest performers began singing as a young choir boy?

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“I believe he might have been about 10 years old,” said Cathy Sayle, 69, one of the church’s coordinators, who posed by a photo of Lightfoot from that time.

“My grandparents, Charlie and Ann Andrews, had an orchestra, the Andrews Orchestra, and they played various gigs all about the area, and when Gordon was 16, he asked Gramps if he could drum for a little bit. So he did.”

Lightfoot died May 1 at the age of 84 from natural causes. The public visitation, from 1 p.m.-8 p.m., saw long lineups wrap around the street in front of the church, with more than 2,400 mourners paying their respects.

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Orillia couple Steven and Diane Porter were the first in line, having arrived at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

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“Gordon Lightfoot is an icon, a beautiful man, his songs touched (people) all around the world and he’s like Mr. Canada — God love him,” said Steve Porter, who was a young student of Lightfoot’s former guitarist Red Shea.

Photos of Lightfoot were shown on three screens inside the church while his music played on the P.A. system.

There were a few bouquets of flowers and placards of condolences outside the church — one read “We Love You Gord” — but they were outnumbered by the floral arrangements inside, including a huge bouquet of red roses from Lightfoot’s third wife, Kim, on top of the casket on the stage at the front of the church with a card that read, “My heart’s treasure,” and a ribbon that said, “Loving husband.”

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Kim could be seen in the front row of the church with fellow mourners but eventually she moved up to the stage to greet those coming through the public line.

Among them was Hugh’s Room publicist Jane Harbury, who said she’s known Lightfoot since the early ‘70s from her days working at The Riverboat coffee house in Toronto’s then-folkie Yorkville neighborhood.

“I was devastated because I thought Gordon would come back from whatever was wrong,” said Harbury, referring to Lightfoot recently cancelling his 2023 North American tour dates for “health reasons.”

“I had to be here. It’s a long time (I’ve known him).”

A particularly poignant moment happened at 2 p.m. on Sunday when 30 bells tolled in the church– 29 for the lost mariners immortalized in Lightfoot’s song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald — and one for Lightfoot.

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Lightfoot’s funeral on Monday will be private, with his remains buried alongside those of his parents in Orillia.

But Lightfoot’s concert promoter Bernie Fiedler told reporters inside the church on Sunday, there are plans for a tribute concert.

“Have the original band, if they’re willing, do a concert,” said Fiedler with Lightfoot’s bassist Rick Haynes beside him.

“And I’ve already got Burton Cummings, Tom Cochrane, Tom Rush, Murray McLauchlan, agreed to come and do a song, and do it at Massey Hall.”

But Haynes added the love for Lightfoot extends beyond Canada’s borders, noting Billy Joel recently performed a rendition of Sundown in concert.

“I think Gordon was the best,” he added. “I think there are a lot of really great songwriters out there. I don’t think there are any better than Gordon.”