Gord Downie

Bio:
Gord Downie (born Gordon Edgar Down on February 6, 1964 in Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian rock musician and writer. He befriended his fellow Tragically Hip bandmates in high school at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute. He formed the band with Rob Baker, Johnny Fay, Davis Manning and Gord Sinclair in 1983. They started by playing cover songs, but quickly became famous and signed to MCA Records. Gord is well known for his wild antics and storytelling while performing. In 2001, he diverted from the band to go solo and release some of his writing. He made his second solo album in 2003 and then three more albums with Tragically Hip.

Best Known For:
Gord Downie is best known as a member of the Tragically Hip.

Personal Life:
In May 2016, it was announced that Gord had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, which was confirmed by Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The hospital said the glioblastoma tumor responded to radiation and chemo, but is not curable. He toured with the band throughout summer 2016 to support their 14th studio album. The final concert was held in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario on August 20, 2016 and was live streamed by CCTV on TV, radio and internet and watched by an estimated 11.7 million people.