Leonard Cohen 2

This is beautiful and intense photo was taken less than 2 months before Leonard Cohen passed away (The New Yorker 2016; Note 2).

He looks thin and frail here. Two months earlier, in late July, when Marianne Ihlen – his longstanding partner, friend, and muse – passed away in Oslo, Norway, he wrote the following to her, which was read in her funeral (Cohen, Leonard 2016): "

Dearest Marianne,

I’m just a little behind you, close enough to take your hand. This old body has given up, just as yours has too. I’ve never forgotten your love and your beauty. But you know that. I don’t have to say any more. Safe travels old friend. See you down the road. Endless love and gratitude.
    — your Leonard

He wrote that he would soon follow Marianne. And so he did, on 7 November 2016. 

It seldom fails, it is only after a person has passed on that we realize her or his contributions and greatness. He has been compared with Bob Dylan, who himself counted Cohen as perhaps his greatest influence. Yet, Dylan received the Nobel which he – after a long silence – for a long time declined to travel to receive, refering vaguely to prior commitments. Would Cohen have been a more worthy recipient?

Lars T Soeftestad

Notes
(1) An earlier version of this article was published on my Facebook profile on 17 November 2016.
(2) I wrote a brief appreciation on Musica Mondo! primo December 2016 (Musica Mondo! 2016).
(3) Relevant Devblog articles: "Leonard Cohen 1" at: https://devblog.no/en/article/leonard-cohen-1 | "Leonard Cohen 3" at: https://devblog.no/en/article/leonard-cohen-3
(4) Image credit: The New Yorker (2016). Photo taken at his home in Los Angeles in September 2016.
(5) Permalink. URL: https://devblog.no/en/article/leonard-cohen-2
(6) This artice was published 17 November 2016. It was revised 9 October 2018.

Sources
Cohen, Leonard. 2016. "Dearest Marianne". URL: https://ifi.ie/marianne-and-leonard-words-of-love/
Musica Mondo! 2016. URL: http://www.facebook.com/MusicMondo
The New Yorker. 2016. "Leonard Cohen makes it darker". 17 October. URL: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/17/leonard-cohen-makes-it-darker