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<p>KINGSTON, Ontario (AP) &#8212; Gord Downie, who made himself part of Canada&#8217;s national identity with songs about hockey and small towns as lead singer and songwriter of iconic rock band The Tragically Hip, has died at age 53 after a battle with brain cancer.</p><p>A statement on the band&#8217;s website said Downie died Tuesday night &#8220;with his beloved children and family close by.&#8221; The statement did not give a cause of death, though he had been diagnosed earlier with cancer.</p><p>Since The Tragically Hip&#8217;s first album in 1987, the band has provided a soundtrack for the lives of many Canadians. &#8220;New Orleans is Sinking&#8221; and &#8220;Fifty Mission Cap&#8221; are among the best known.</p><p>While Canadian musicians Drake, the Weeknd and Justin Bieber have made waves internationally, The Tragically Hip built a huge following of die-hard homegrown fans.</p><p>An emotional Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wept in Parliament while talking about Downie on national television in a statement to reporters.</p><p>&#8220;We are less as a country without Gord Downie in it. We all knew it was coming, but we hoped it wasn&#8217;t,&#8221; said Trudeau, his voice breaking. &#8220;I thought I was going to make it through this, but I&#8217;m not. It hurts. &#8220;</p><p>The Hip&#8217;s first self-titled EP was released in 1987, and their breakthrough debut full-length album, &#8220;Up to Here,&#8221; was released in 1989. Since then they have released 14 studio albums, two live albums, one EP and 54 singles. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 in Canada. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 14 Juno awards, the equivalent of the Grammy in Canada.</p><p>In Kingston, where Downie grew up, fans left flowers and lined up to sign a book condolences while his music played in the town square in front of City Hall.</p><p>Downie is survived by his wife and four children.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Gord Downie speaks during a ceremony honoring him at the AFN Special Chiefs assembly in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, on Dec. 6. Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, died Tuesday at the age of 53 after a battle with brain cancer. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_downie.jpg</photo0><caption0>Gord Downie speaks during a ceremony honoring him at the AFN Special Chiefs assembly in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, on Dec. 6. Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, died Tuesday at the age of 53 after a battle with brain cancer. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Gord Downie, lead singer of iconic band The Tragically Hip, dead at 53