EPIC AND ENIGMATIC SONGWRITER LEONARD COHEN IS DEAD AT 82

Leonard Cohen, the Canadian poet and songwriter who abandoned a promising literary career  to become one of the most foremost songwriters of the contemporary era, has died at his home in Los Angeles.

Over a musical career that spanned nearly fifty years, Mr Cohen wrote songs that addressed themes of love and faith, dispair, solitude and connection, war and politics. More than 2,000 recordings of his songs have been made by performers from across the spectrum of popular music, like  U2, Aretha Franklin, R.E.M and Elton John.

Leonard Cohen's best known song is 'Hallellujah', a meditative ballad first released in 1984.