Canada Post issued 4 OFDCs. Each Official First Day Cover features a photograph of Cohen at a different stage of his illustrious career. On the reverse, engaging historical text tells the story of Cohen’s life, work, awards and achievements.
The stamps are postmarked in Cohen’s home city of Montréal, and each Official First Day Cover is cancelled with a different pictorial cancellation, inspired by art from his albums.
The issue date of September 21, 2019, was chosen to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Cohen’s birth in 1934.
Born in 1934,
Leonard Cohen was an award-winning poet during his days at McGill University.
More poetry and two novels followed after he graduated, including Beautiful Losers in
1966. The following year,
Cohen launched a new career in music with an
appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and the release of his debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen.
In 1984, Cohen released the album Various Positions. It features “Hallelujah,”
his most popular and most covered song.
A member of
the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the
Songwriters Hall of Fame, Cohen has also been honoured with multiple JUNO
awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Cohen died in
2016 at the age of 82, one month after releasing his final album, You Want It Darker. The
album’s title track would go on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Rock
Performance.
The issue
date of September 21, 2019, was chosen to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Leonard
Cohen’s birth.