Gordon Lightfoot, the uniquely talented Canadian singer/songwriter, died yesterday at age 84. 

His list of great tunes and performances goes on and on. To name just a few favorites: “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Early Morning Rain,” “Song for a Winter’s Night,” “Ordinary Man,” “I’m Not Sayin’,” “East of Midnight,” “I’ll Tag Along,” “Second Cup of Coffee,” “Always on the Bright Side,” “10 Degrees and Getting Colder,” and “Did She Mention My Name.”

Lightfoot was one of the first musicians I ever interviewed. I was a young college student and clueless about how to do a Q&A. But he politely answered my handful of not-exactly-insightful questions and treated me with the same respect he accorded to the daily newspaper reporter who talked to him just before I did.

His music has been a regular companion to me for many decades, and it’s hard to believe he’s not still among us.