[VioletLite]

Gutted. My hero. The one whose words and music got me through some of life's toughest times.

[thechubb44]

This hurts. Really really hurts. As others have said. It's as if a family member just gave you the news. Only worse. the music is the fabric of my life. And to imagine it being taken away is unfathomable.

[blacksox12]

Wow - stunned by the news this morning. Thoughts to Gord and his family at this time. The evil beast that is cancer afflicts a great Canadian icon who's contribution to all things music and Canadiana is immense. Will enjoy this tour, and will listen always to the music.

[The Horrible Esthete]

Why does this seem so horrifically poignant?

Gordon Downie, terminal cancer. Of Course.

Fuck the cosmos.

[gratts99]

Gutted. My hero. The one whose words and music got me through some of life's toughest times.

Exactly how I and so many of you feel . Very well said.

I can't believe the news came after this latest record was done. "Man Machine Poem" the video For the World Possessed..

[Malique33]

Heartbreaking. I opened the letter expecting to see a mention of a new tour. I read the letter and became shocked. I have no words. My thoughts and prayers are with Gord and his family. What a horrible day.

[NWOntario]

I think I mentioned this in the other thread...but my buddy and I are doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer in a couple weeks (my third time riding in it--I've been a crew member the past two years--and his seventh). He and I met in Kingston. We're both big Hip fans; we've seen them together so many times I've literally lost count (the most recent was last year's Kingston show). And our team name, which we decided on last August, is...the Tragically Clipped.

Which brings me to a friend of ours named Mike, who died of brain cancer in 2011. He and Gord developed a friendship after Mike was diagnosed; Gord was at his funeral, and he dedicated "Fiddler's Green" to Mike at the Downsview Park show on Canada Day 2011. That story's especially poignant today, I think.

Hope everyone's doing well. I'm trying really hard to be productive today, but...it's not happening.

[CanuckCourage]

Can't stop crying. I don't even know what to say, I'm just in shock.

[daylight]

Watching the press conference.

Left temporal glioblastoma, diagnosed in December 2015 after a seizure, already had surgery and 6 weeks of radiation. Chemo ongoing. The tumour has biomarkers that suggest it may be amenable to treatment. Not a large tumour and most of it was removed.

Left temporal is typically involved with language and verbal memory so I assume he doesn't have any major post-surgical deficits on those fronts if they're going on tour.

Physician made a "tired as fuck" joke.

"Wide spectrum of prognosis" for what happens next.

[ewallman]

I think I mentioned this in the other thread...but my buddy and I are doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer in a couple weeks (my third time riding in it--I've been a crew member the past two years--and his seventh). He and I met in Kingston. We're both big Hip fans; we've seen them together so many times I've literally lost count (the most recent was last year's Kingston show). And our team name, which we decided on last August, is...the Tragically Clipped.

Which brings me to a friend of ours named Mike, who died of brain cancer in 2011. He and Gord developed a friendship after Mike was diagnosed; Gord was at his funeral, and he dedicated "Fiddler's Green" to Mike at the Downsview Park show on Canada Day 2011. That story's especially poignant today, I think.

Hope everyone's doing well. I'm trying really hard to be productive today, but...it's not happening.

Tragically Clipped..great team name.

And good on you for all the years of being involved

[NWOntario]

I think I mentioned this in the other thread...but my buddy and I are doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer in a couple weeks (my third time riding in it--I've been a crew member the past two years--and his seventh). He and I met in Kingston. We're both big Hip fans; we've seen them together so many times I've literally lost count (the most recent was last year's Kingston show). And our team name, which we decided on last August, is...the Tragically Clipped.

Which brings me to a friend of ours named Mike, who died of brain cancer in 2011. He and Gord developed a friendship after Mike was diagnosed; Gord was at his funeral, and he dedicated "Fiddler's Green" to Mike at the Downsview Park show on Canada Day 2011. That story's especially poignant today, I think.

Hope everyone's doing well. I'm trying really hard to be productive today, but...it's not happening.

Tragically Clipped..great team name.

And good on you for all the years of being involved

Thanks! I'm a survivor, so I'll be rockin' a yellow flag during the ride; it's one of my biggest sources of pride, the fact I'll be able to cross that finish line with that flag on the back of my bike and my soulmate waiting for me at the finish line. We're gonna utter a mighty goddamn roar when we cross.

[ewallman]

If it was me, I would yell "RUBY!! Honey are ya mad at your man"

[dpontefract]

Difficult to process. Best thing I know how to do ... is write. In this case, a poem.

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dp

[Smokey]

very nice

[robert goulet]

Is it just me or is this harder to process seeing as it is basically a death sentence. Now we get/have to watch this all play out rather than simply waking up today and hearing the news that he passed.

Both scenarios are terrible, but I can't seem to come to grips with the inevitability of it all.

It makes the idea of watching this last show(s) almost too hard to consider signing up for.