Gordon Lightfoot’s instruments, artwork and outfits headed to auction

Dozens of Gordon Lightfoot’s personal belongings — including guitars, artwork, even his highest awards — are up for grabs in an auction that has some fans questioning why the items weren’t rescued by a museum.
Texas-based Heritage Auctions is leading the sale of the artifacts in co-operation with Lightfoot’s estate.The auction is currently being held online and closes with an in-person ceremony on Nov. 17, the late musician’s birthday.
Among the items being auctioned are nine artist-signed paintings inspired by “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” that hung in Lightfoot’s living room, and a Rand McNally map of the United States pinned with tour stops that the singer-songwriter also displayed in his home.
There’s an array of Lightfoot’s most recognizable outfits, a selection of his amplifiers, his Songwriters Hall of Fame award and his Canada Walk of Fame trophy.
Some fans took to Lightfoot’s Facebook page to criticize the auction, saying the estate should have worked with Canadian cultural institutions to protect items that belonged to such a historically important singer-songwriter.
Requests for comment from members of Lightfoot’s estate were not immediately returned. Lightfoot died last year at the age of 84.
City council in his hometown of Orillia, Ont. established a working group to consider a museum dedicated to the musician. Part of their objective was to consult with the estate on memorabilia for display.
But after an extension on the mandate last fall, no announcements were made.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2024.