Montrealers visit Leonard Cohen’s grave on the ten-year anniversary of his death

Montrealers remember Leonard Cohen ten years later
Montrealers remember Leonard Cohen ten years later
A mural of Leonard Cohen looks down on people attending a Canada Post event to unveil three stamps in honour of Cohen in Montreal, Friday, September 20, 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Writer

Montrealers gathered at Leonard Cohen’s grave to honour the late singer, ten years after his death. 

Cohen's final resting place was covered with close to 100 roses on Saturday, and bouquets and other tribunes were laid on the grave as a small but steady flow of people streamed to the site.

Juan Merchan was sitting a few feet from Cohen’s resting place, reading the artist’s collection of poems and smoking a cigarette.

He says he visits the site twice a year, for Cohen’s birthday and the anniversary of his death. 

Cohen was one of Canada’s most revered artists, bringing a poet’s sensibility and a distinctive baritone to enduring songs such as “Hallelujah” and “Suzanne” over a career spanning five decades. 

Leonard Cohen died in Los Angeles on Nov. 7, 2016, and was returned to his home of Montreal to be buried beside his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2026.

By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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