Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

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Boro
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by Boro »

Rest in peace, Marianne, after such a worth living life,

She always seemed to me so sincere and simple and honesto and beautiful and calm
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lizzytysh
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by lizzytysh »

So much a loss to our world, Marianne's leaving so suddenly and unexpectedly. She leaves with us so much behind and brings to the afterlife so much, as well.

Marianne... a gentle, kind, tender, sweet, and beautiful soul, who Leonard's soul will never forget. I look forward to listening to the recording of their sharing of memories. May you rest in peace, dear Marianne. I'm so happy for those here who were able to meet and spend time with your beautiful soul.

I'm grateful to Leonard for having immortalized you as he did... in poetry, in song, in interviews, and in photos. You were born to be forever remembered and you will be.

Thank you, too, for your own book, so that we were able to see your life and your and Leonard's life together through your eyes.


Much love and gratitude,
Elizabeth / Lizzie
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
telephonedancer
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by telephonedancer »

So long Marianne.
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lizzytysh
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by lizzytysh »

My mood has been sombre since learning of Marianne's death. The image of her friends humming "Bird on a Wire" is such a poignant one. It all seems to speak so much to the depth of her love for Leonard which, despite marriage, seems never to have wavered.

It's so hard to believe that she's gone.
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
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lizzytysh
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by lizzytysh »

Moving tributes to Marianne on Sylvie Simmons's Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/sylvie.simmons.9

Whoops, I apologize. It seems you need to be a Friend of Sylvie's to get to them. Perhaps, Jarkko will copy and paste them to here.
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde
anny
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by anny »

so long Marianne rest in peace beautiful lady...my sincere end deepest condolence to family and friends and Leonard...you will always be in my heart...I'll never forget you

anny
BlizzardofIce
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by BlizzardofIce »

I remember sitting a few chairs away from Marianne at one of the Oslo concerts. I was on the second row, and she was on the third. In the break I couldn't help myself, but had to talk to her, I felt like a stalker, a crazy fan, but she responded so nice.
Such a beautiful woman, a kind soul. We talked for some minutes, I was just reading her book, so it was like meeting a star.
The way she and Leonard connected during the songs gave the concert a truelly higher perspective, I couldn't help myself turning around and watch her during "bird on the wire", the song Marianne calls "their song", and see how deep the connection was, both ways.

So sad that she's gone.

So long, Marianne.
There are many ways a man can serve his time
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surrender
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by surrender »

I am deeply saddened by the news of Marianne passing.
My heartfelt condolences go out to her family and all those who have her at heart.
May her soul rest in peace.

Jarmila
1988: Amsterdam 1993: Nijmegen 2008: Amsterdam|Oberhausen 2009: Cologne|Antwerp|Barcelona 2010: Ghent (8/20-21-22)|Lille
2012: Ghent (8/12)|Amsterdam (8/21-22)|Verona|Lisboa 2013: Antwerp|Brussels|Rotterdam|Amsterdam


After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music...
(Aldous L. Huxley)
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Mollydog
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by Mollydog »

A very touching interview with Jan Christian Mollestad by CBC's As It Happens. :cry:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as- ... -1.3705989
1972 London/1974 London/1985 Montreal/1993 Ottawa/2008 Montreal,London O2/2009 NYC Beacon,Kingston,Ottawa X 2,Barcelona,Las Vegas,San José/2010 Malmo,Las Vegas X 2/2012 Verona,Vancouver,Montreal X 2,Ottawa,Kingston/2013 NYC, Hamilton
cohenadmirer
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by cohenadmirer »

It sounds as though she had a 'good death' , which is what we would all want for ourselves , loved ones , and - indeed- everyone.
Leonard was present in spirit.

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/leonard-coh ... hlen-88030


It gave her deep peace of mind that you knew her condition. And your blessing for the journey gave her extra strength. Jan and her friends who saw what this message meant for her, will all thank you in deep gratitude for replying so fast and with such love and compassion.

In her last hour I held her hand and hummed Bird on a Wire, while she was breathing so lightly. And when we left he room, after her soul had flown out of the window for new adventures, we kissed her head and whispered your everlasting words



Read more at http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/leonard-coh ... 1HpG7tq.99
Leonard's work resonates
Brighton 1979; Dublin , Manchester june 2008; glasgow, manchester Nov 2008; Liverpool july 2009 ; Barcelona Sept 2009 ;marseille, lille september2010: Ghent August 2012;Barcelona October 2012;Montreal x2 November 2012: 2013; Saint John NB April 2013; Brussels June 2013;Manchester August 2013; Leeds , Birmingham September 2013; Amsterdam September 2013
BlizzardofIce
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by BlizzardofIce »

Norway's biggest newspaper, (vg.no) has three full pages today in the written paper, about Marianne's life and her last hours.

Beautiful words, touching story.
The article is online, but in a paid area.
There are many ways a man can serve his time
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AlanM
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by AlanM »

I found out just a little time ago that I have 23 versions of "So Long, Marianne." One by Perla Batalla and the rest by Leonard, of course. Listening to them in chronological order shows the change in the tone of Leonard's voice, starting from when he and Marianne were starting to drift apart up to 2013 and Live In Dublin.
The arrangements change, the phrasing changes, occasionally the words change subtly but the emotion of the song is there in every version.
Each time he sings "Oh you are really such a pretty one" I am reminded that I also was in love with Marianne as I'm sure many of his fans were.
However the line that strikes me as the most poignant today is "Your letters they all say that you're beside me now".
I was comforted to read that Leonard had written to her and she had comprehended what he had written. Such lovely words, such a beautiful reaching out to a lovely lady.
I'll finish by quoting a rarely sung verse, rather than the title of the song:
Here comes the morning boat,
Here comes the evening train,
Here comes Marianne now,
To wave goodbye again.

Marianne has waved us goodbye for the last time.
Farewell, lovely lady.

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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hydriot
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by hydriot »

What I remember of her on Hydra in the sixties was her elegance: she wore a long light skirt that swished around her ankles, years before long skirts became fashionable. She had the deportment of an ice-skater: she seemed to not walk but glide across the stones of the quayside. I was only a teenager of course, but I suspect we were all a little bit in love with her, for that was the age when Scandinavians were considered the sexiest women in the world.

Thanks to Leonard, I was able to get back in contact with her a year or so ago, and we exchanged a few emails. But I thought she had many years ahead of her.

I think Days of Kindness is the finest tribute to her, written by Leonard while on Hydra in 1985, decades after the relationship ended.
“If you do have love it's a kind of wound, and if you don't have it it's worse.” - Leonard, July 1988
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lizzytysh
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by lizzytysh »

Days of Kindness is the poem I've shown people to show Leonard's depth of caring for Marianne, and the uniqueness of his expression of it. I love this poem so much.

And, Alan, such a perfect and lovely verse to quote for saying goodbye to Marianne.

Hydriot ~ Such an evocative, enchanting, and beautiful picture of Marianne you have painted of her when she lived on Hydra. How she must have appeared to all those teenage boys, including yourself.
Last edited by lizzytysh on Tue Aug 09, 2016 3:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
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Patrycja
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Re: Sad news: Marianne Ihlen dies

Post by Patrycja »

Rest in peace, dear Marianne. Blessings for a good journey.

And thank you.
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