Tears, joy and tributes as fans pay respects to Gordon Lightfoot in his hometown

ORILLIA, Ont. - Over 2,400 fans attended a public visitation Sunday in Gordon Lightfoot’s hometown in central Ontario to say goodbye to the folk singer-songwriter. In the pouring rain, a line stretched down the street outside St. Paul’s United Church in Orillia, Ont., where Lightfoot once sang as a choir boy. It was one of the many tributes to Lightfoot in Orillia since his death on May 1. A private funeral is to take place Monday in Orillia, where Lightfoot is to be buried alongside his parents.