The son of a late legendary singer is opening up about his final appearance. Leonard Cohen passed away in 2016, but not before sharing his love for music one final time.
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The singer's life is revisited in the documentary Leonard Cohen: If It Be Your Will. In the film, the legendary singer's son, Adam, talked about his final appearance in October 2016. It was a private listening event for his album You Want It Darker.
"The very last time he spoke in public, it was only three weeks before he passed," Adam said. "And I remember writing to him later that night saying, 'Dad, you were dazzling.'"
While he didn't perform for the event, the songwriter entertained audiences with his words and wit. Tragically, he addressed his own mortality as well.
"I said I was ready to die recently, and I think I was exaggerating. I intend to live forever," he told the crowd at the time. Cohen would die less than a month later. The legendary singer passed away in his sleep on November 7, 2016.
Singer Remembered by Son
His son remembered his father and his legacy.
"My father was incredibly generous and didn't have this feeling of self-importance. His music does live on, and that was the thing he was so grateful for," Adam said. "Thank you, he'd say, for keeping my songs alive. And we're doing that. The world is doing that."
Before he passed, the singer told his son exactly how he wanted to be remembered.
"I remember one time he pulled me aside and he said, 'This is going to sound morbid, but when I go, I want you to put me in a pine box next to my mother and my father in Montreal. I want you to have a ceremony in L.A. with just family and friends, keep it small. And if you want to do something bigger, do it in Montreal,'" he recalled in a statement. "It was in accordance with not only his instructions, but it's also in accordance with the Jewish tradition, which is the year anniversary of the death represents the transfiguration between mourning and celebration."
