AlanM has passed away

[B4real]

It is with a very heavy heart that I let you know of the passing of one of our Australian LC forum members, AlanM.

He was a wonderful friend to many of us. His son said that his father passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Saturday 30th of June surrounded by family and people who loved and cared for him. I have sent to the family via his son, my absolute heartfelt condolences and I repeat that sentiment here. This forum benefited from his contributions, and he loved being a part of it. It's hard to know the right things to say at a time like this. He will truly be missed. I thank Alan whole-heartedly for his friendship. RIP.

Here's a photo I took of him, his wife Karin and in the middle, a well-known member and moderator of this forum, Andrew Darbyshire at the Adelaide concert in 2013.

Alan, Andrew & Karin - Adelaide 11.12.13 concert.jpg (22.78 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

And another photo of us at the same concert.

Adelaide 11.12.13 concert.jpeg (134.24 KiB) Viewed 1269 times

photos from here - https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewt ... 73#p342073

[Geoffrey]

B4real wrote:
>It is with a very heavy heart that I let you know of the passing of one of our Australian LC forum members, AlanM.
----------------------
this is a bit of a shock. we frequently interacted on this forum. he was always utterly pleasant and interesting. we never know what's waiting around the corner, and that underscores how thoughtful and kind we should always be to one another. i liked alan a lot, and am so sad knowing that he has died. it's always difficult for me to know what to write when this kind of news appears. i knew him as a good man, and appreciate having been in touch with him. i hope no one else i know dies for a long time, because it's horrible when that happens. it affects me a lot, and takes a long while to get over it.

-geoffrey

[its4inthemorning]

Heavy heart indeed.

About eight years ago I "ran into" Alan here on the forum. Over those years we regularly communicated, first here and later on by email, not only about Leonard and his work, but about a myriad of subjects. If one's online interactions count, Alan became one of my best friends on this planet. I only had the pleasure of meeting Alan and Karin on one occasion, in Athens and on Hydra in 2017, and I've treasured those days ever since. Our first encounter was at an outdoor cafe in Athens near the ruins of Hadrian's Library for lunch. After the initial pleasantries somehow the conversation turned to sport, and Alan was trying to explain cricket to me and I baseball to him. After a few frustrating minutes, we looked at each other, laughed, and decided there were far better things to talk about over our cold Mythos! I have come to believe that only special people become Cohen fans, and in all respects, Alan fits this bill. Safe journey Alan, and thanks for treating me to a flake of your well-lived life.

4

[LisaLCFan]

Oh, no, what sad news! I am so dreadfully sorry to hear this. I did not know Alan very well, but he was one of the few regulars around here, and I always enjoyed "seeing" him on this forum, sharing a few exchanges with him from time to time -- he always had something interesting and unique to contribute. He struck me as a very kind, gentle man (and he had a kind and gentle face, too -- thank you, Bev, for the photos). I am sure that Alan will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him -- I will miss him, too. Farewell, dear AlanM -- thanks for hanging out with us.

[Andrew (Darby)]

This is indeed a time of great sadness, as our dear friend Alan is no longer with us.

I only knew Alan a relatively short while, but in that time he’d become a very good friend, whom I greatly appreciated in every way… such an interesting and intelligent man, who was so engaging.

We inadvertently discovered another personal connection, once we started to get to know erach other: he was born in Northern Ireland, where my mother was also from. In chatting we discovered that he went to school with two of my cousins over there.

You are sadly missed, RIP Alan,
Andrew

[dar]

Thanks to the forum members who shared their memories of Alan. I only interacted with Alan a few times online but I followed his posts and comments for many years. He was a valuable member of this community. So many of our old timers are passing on but I'm honored to have known them a bit as they were passing through. My deepest condolences to his friends and family as they grieve this loss. RIP Alan.

[AlanM]

Dearest Cohenites and friends of AlanM,

This is Paul, Alan's son, and on behalf of our family I wanted to express my gratitude to the wonderful outpouring of support and respect for my father. Our family has been deeply moved by the response to the sad news of Alan's death and I wanted to let you know how important you and this amazing group of people in the Leonard Cohen Forum were to him.

As you all know, Dad obviously absolutely loved the work of Leonard Cohen, but he would often tell me stories of the wonderful friends that he had made within this group and the adventures some of you shared with him throughout the years.

When he passed away, he had a blanket on his bed. The blanket that was made for him by members of this group. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you how much he valued that gesture.

Thanks again for being such wonderful people and for being such an important part of his life.
Warmest regards,
PaulM

Hello all,

This is Laura, Alan's daughter. I also wanted to share how touched we are by the memories of Dad expressed by group members here. It's wonderful to read of the strong friendships he had formed, and how he was valued.

Leonard Cohen's music was such an important part of Dad's life - his identity even. My middle name, Suzanne, is from the song. When I arrived at his bedside, I brought him tea, oranges (from my garden, not China) and a small mirror. He was impressed at my research skills, not knowing that I know the song well, often singing it to feel connected to Dad from where I live. I sang it to him the day before he died, and while he was not able to respond, I believe he could hear me. The last song that he wanted to listen to was "I Can't Forget."

Music is so strongly linked to our memories, and listening to Leonard Cohen will be one way of keeping those memories strong for me.

Thank you for making Dad feel connected to your community - it meant the world to him.

Kindest,
Laura

[B4real]

Paul and Laura,
I’m so glad you were able to post about your father here. Thank you!

You were speaking of Alan’s stories about us, well here’s the reverse, a story about him. One that I simply must impart of his thoughtfulness and compassion. On the night before we went to the 2013 Adelaide LC concert Alan organised a pre-concert get-together at his house. He told me that he wanted one of our forum members bridger15 (Arlene Dick) who had recently passed away to be represented here with us too. So, he had a framed photo of her with Leonard put on the centre table in the group photo below. She had very kindly helped him with a few things, and they got on well. This was his way of including her and showing she was remembered.

In the photo below, she is almost obscured by his head –

Looking at that photo reminds me that the very last email Alan sent to me contained a photo of Roscoe, the dog on the right (yes, you are correct, another familiar name ) playing on the beach with a feather in his mouth.

You know, we all deal differently with grief. Some keep it within themselves, some feel the need to talk about it.
You all can see that I belong to the latter.

[LisaLCFan]

So lovely to hear from Paul and Laura -- thank you for sharing your very moving stories with us, reading your words brought tears to my eyes. I wish that I had known your father a bit better, for forum interactions often tend to be brief and somewhat superficial, such that the person behind the name remains vague and mostly unknown. Nevertheless, I hope that you and your family are finding some peace and comfort during this difficult time.

Bev, thanks for another great photo of Alan and some of the Australian Cohenites, plus Alan's two beautiful dogs (I have a soft spot for spaniels!). And, what a thoughtful gesture, indeed, for Alan to include a photo of Arlene in your gathering/photo: I met her a few times at Cohen concerts in the States, and she was certainly a force of nature, and a really wonderful person -- she'd have loved that story!

[Andrew (Darby)]

Paul and Laura,

Thank you so much for making the effort at this time to convey those words of gratitude to us Forum friends of your father and, in turn, sharing what this aspect of your father's world personally means for each of you. That is a so special way of honouring him and acknowledging how important Leonard Cohen and the community here were to him.

I'm sure your dear father (and mother) would/will be touched by this too.

All the best to you both,
Andrew D.