I suppose folk singer Leonard Cohen figured that in his golden years, he could take it easy. After all, he had had a very successful musical career. Lou Reed said Cohen was in “the highest and most influential echelon of songwriters.” The Canadian Cohen won the Juno Award both for vocals and songwriting, a Grammy for album of the year, and has been inducted into both the Canadian and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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But, at the age of 74, he is touring again. Cohen put on a three hour show in New York’s Beacon Theater that included six encores. During the set, Cohen, whose songs often contained lusty themes, joked about his age between such hits as “In My Secret Life,” “Everyone Knows,” and “Bird on a Wire.” Ever the professional, Cohen shared the spotlight with his band mates Sharon Robinson (a long time songwriting collaborator) and the Webb Sisters. In April, Cohen will begin a North American tour that will include Austin, Vancouver, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Quebec City, and Ottawa.
Cohen, who was born into a Jewish family, had stopped touring in 1996 when he was ordained as a Rinzai Buddhist monk and retired to a California monastery.
However, Cohen was really forced to return to the stage. In 2005, he made the shocking claim that his former manager and lover Kelley Lunch had misappropriated more than $5 million dollars of his, which left Cohen with just $150,000 in his retirement fund. Cohen found himself sued by several former business associates and his name was in the headlines.
A Los Angeles court found in his favor when he sued Lynch and he was awarded a $9 million dollar settlement, but says he has not been able to collect the monies as Lynch ignored the subpoena to turn over financial records.
Despite his own financial downfalls, Cohen recently donated $200,000 to the victims of the Australian bushfires.