The Tragically Hip Singer Gord Downie Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer

There’s sad news out of Canada this morning as singer Gord Downie of the country’s beloved iconic band The Tragically Hip is battling a terminal case of brain cancer. Downie’s condition was revealed through a note posted on the band’s website that includes word The Tragically Hip will tour with Gord this summer.

The Tragically Hip are heroes in their homeland having received 14 Juno Awards and nine No. 1 singles over the course of a career that spans over 30 years. Of the decision to tour, TTH said “This feels like the right thing to do now, for Gord, and for all of us.” Look for a tour announcement soon.

Here’s the full statement from TheHip.com:

Hello friends.

We have some very tough news to share with you today, and we wish it wasn’t so.

A few months ago, in December, Gord Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Since then, obviously, he’s endured a lot of difficult times, and he has been fighting hard. In privacy along with his family, and through all of this, we’ve been standing by him.

So after 30-some years together as The Tragically Hip, thousands of shows, and hundreds of tours…

We’ve decided to do another one.

This feels like the right thing to do now, for Gord, and for all of us.

What we in The Hip receive, each time we play together, is a connection; with each other; with music and it’s magic; and during the shows, a special connection with all of you, our incredible fans.

So, we’re going to dig deep, and try to make this our best tour yet.

We hope you can come out and join us this summer – details and dates will be coming this week.

And we sincerely thank all of you, for your continued love and support,

Paul, GordD, Johnny, Rob, GordS

Our thoughts are with The Tragically Hip family. The Tragically Hip will release a new studio album entitled Man Machine Poem on June 17. Check out the video for the LP’s first single “In A World Possessed By The Human Mind”: