Leonard Cohen is surely one of the greatest poet-balladeers of our time. His voice may be gravelly, but his lyrics are inspirational. Now it has emerged that the muse to whom he dedicated “So long, Marianne” has died in Norway. She was Marianne Ihlen – and he sent her a beautiful valediction, wishing her a “good journey” and promising: “See you down the road.” Cohen, like Marianne, is now 81, and he messaged Marianne: “I think I will follow you very soon.”
Cohen has always had a spiritual streak: he spent five years in a Zen Buddhist monastery and is described as an observant Jew of eclectic spirituality.
