Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer back in May of 2016, however, he continued to tour with the Tragically Hip over the course of the summer, playing their final show in Kingston, Ontario during August.

Thereafter, he released a solo album, Secret Path, which earned him a Polaris Prize nomination. Prior to his death, he announced the release of a final double album, Introduce Yerself, which is due to come out towards the end of 2017.

The news was released by the Downie family via the Tragically Hip's Twitter page.

Statement - https://t.co/vOTvlJ2jqA pic.twitter.com/Z6dHmr1xpM

— The Tragically Hip (@thehipdotcom) October 18, 2017

Downie formed the Tragically Hip with Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker in 1984. Their debut album, Up To Here was released in 1989 and in total, they released twelve more studio albums with the final being Man Machine Poem in 2016, which topped the Canadian charts.

In response to the news of Downie's passing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a lengthy tribute to the singer, in which he wrote,

“For almost five decades, Gord Downie uncovered and told the stories of Canada. He was the frontman of one of Canada’s most iconic bands, a rock star, artist, and poet whose evocative lyrics came to define a country."

Addressing Downie's activism, Trudeau continued,

“In the wake of his diagnosis, Gord only fought harder for what he believed in: social justice, environmentalism, and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Before passing, he shined his light on the story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack who died from hunger and exposure after trying to find his way home from a residential school. For his work raising awareness of Indigenous issues, he was inducted as a member of the Order of Canada in 2017.

The full statement can be read here:

Full statement on the death of the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie: https://t.co/FiHhj9Spee

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 18, 2017