Kenneth Forsyth has passed away.

[Paula]

I am just letting all who knew Ken know. He passed away this afternoon. He will be missed.

[Wybe]

From facebook:

Good Evening All,
I just wanted to make you all aware that Sadly this afternoon Kenneth passed away in hospital.
Sorry for having to announce this sad news this way but just wanted to get this message out to as many of his great friends as possible.
Thank you for the many years of friendship you have given him.

with love from Kenneths Family.

[Joe Way]

Those of us who knew him are terribly heartbroken tonight. Anne & I first met him on Hydra in 2002.

He was a very special man, witty, down to earth and loyal to those who became his friends.

I would like to say so much more about him, but RIP Kenneth you very dear man-you will always be a bright light for us among these beautiful losers.

[jarkko]

ken.jpg (96.1 KiB) Viewed 7031 times

Zagreb 2010

Ken was an essential personality in our little Cohen community.
20 years with so many fond memories.
Rest in Peace, dear Friend

Love
Eija & Jarkko

[ScottM]

Helen & I, heard, yesterday, of Ken's passing. Waking up this morning, we are still in shock. We knew he had been fighting his illness but hoped he would pull through. People often talk about "larger than life characters", but it is only when you meet someone like Ken (if there ever could be another) that you truly appreciate what this really means. We will miss him and have so many fond memories of meetups, at concerts, in Hydra and at our special Forum events. We particularly treasure our night in Liverpool with him, in 2017, when he met with us and acted as our host while visiting several local hostelries in the city. Just the three of us but we laughed all night. We know that a great number of you will share in our sadness at Ken's loss, but we hope to continue to meet with many of you again, in the years to come, when we can make a toast to "absent friends" with Ken at the forefront of our memories. RIP old friend.

Love from Scott & Helen (The Tipsy Wife). x

[Henning]

When we heard the news yesterday we couldn't believe even though we knew about his struggle the past weeks. But when things are final it still hits you. Ken was a true original, he was blessed with a fantastic humor and we cannot count all the moments when he made us laugh. He cared much about his friends and he had a big heart even though he kept it secret sometimes. Next to being a Leonard Cohen fan he was one of the premium Bob Dylan supporter. And we couldn't resist to tease him every now and then by downgrading the Nobel prize winner. But he always had the proper answer on our soft attacks. It's only when things are final you really are aware what you will miss in the future. Farewell, maestro. We will remember you with a stitch in the heart and a smile on our face.

[ScottM]

There is a tribute to Ken on the Christy Moore website.

https://www.christymoore.com/guestbook/


I have copied the text here in case you can't access the link:

Hilary February 1, 2022 at 10:25 am Location: An Riocht

Hi All. I feel it’s important to mark the passing of one of our 4711ers here, Ken Forsyth passed away yesterday RIP. He was a draughstman who worked in the Docks in Liverpool and was involved in the strike in 1995 or it seems it was more of a lock out. I first met Ken when he came to Knocknagoshel in 2013, he was charmed with the whole thing, the booking process, the village and of course the 2 gigs !! He was also a huge Cohen fan but always said that Knocknagoshel was a particular highlight. He came to many gigs over the years all around Ireland, but Vicar St was a very regular and special place for him. Many of us got to know him and his humour, he was widely travelled and loved theatre also. He was to join our table at Vicar St this Jan for 2 gigs and was booked to see The Faithhealer on his free night but thought it wiser not to travel. He had many friends here and around the world and often arranged to meet them at a Christy gig he introduced us to many other music lovers, he was also very welcoming in Liverpool and loved the Phil, he was a very keen follower of Andy Irvine and loved to see him there. His favourite song was Butterfly “Where the highway starts I parked my car I got out and stared up at the stars.” Fly with the stars now Ken. Suaimhneas síoraí ar anam uasal. H

[andrea]

Thank you all for sharing the thoughts on Ken.
We too and are so saddened about Ken´s passaway and we will miss him very much.
We had so many happy moments together at our various meetups around Europe and even in NY in 2004. First time I met him was in 2002 at the Leonard Cohen Hydra Event, exactly 20 years ago.
A treasure of friendship. Thank you Ken. Buon viaggio caro Ken....RIP
i tuoi amici da Verona
Andrea & Marco

[tinderella]

So sad. What memories we have. He will be missed.

We are all made of stars

[joyezekiel]

Kenneth was a real personality. I only came to know him well in recent years, but he was a true friend. He is a huge loss to our little community and will be greatly missed by us all. RIP Kenneth.

Joy and Mark

[Maarten]

Proud to have known you, Ken... Always in for a laugh, life was never dull with you around (be it in real life or on the Forum or FaceBook). You will be sorely missed by many but forgotten by none.

Ta Maarten

[lizzytysh]

That's a wonderful photo of Ken, Eija and Jarkko.

I love your simple tribute, Maarten, especially your last sentence. Earlier today, I was thinking how even if a person isn't good with remembering names, it wouldn't take many descriptives to make them remember Ken.

With so many friends of his posting photos of themselves with him, I knew I wouldn't find one of us in my Budapest photos. Still, I went through every photo, hoping to find at least an incidental one of him with others. However, we intentionally kept such a great distance and gave each other such wide berth, I couldn't find a single one.

This is what I posted on Facebook, in Wendy Humphries' posting, beneath her tribute to Ken:

Ken and I fell out when we were both on the Forum. Our conflict wasn't political, but it stemmed from politics. We were both dug in with our positions. The alienation was severe. Prior to that, Ken and I got along great, in person and on the Forum. He sent me a gift at some point along the way. I remember well how it was when we were in good graces. He was delightful. So, I know how this shock and sadness are reverberating with those who were close to him.

My last time on Hydra, I reached out to him, late at night on the back streets, as we were both enroute home, no one else around. I apologized for my part in our conflict. He wasn't ready and said as much, the bottom line being that he rebuffed my attempt. I was glad then (as I would always have wondered), and I'm especially glad now, that I at least tried.

May you Rest in Peace, dear Ken. You were often the proverbial life of the party, and you will always be remembered by the Cohenites around the world who met you. ❤

~ Lizzie

[Wybe]

My tribute to Ken.

https://www.icantforget.nl/LiverpoolKen.html


Wybe

[ScottM]

My tribute to Ken.

https://www.icantforget.nl/LiverpoolKen.html


Wybe

Hi Wybe,

Thanks for putting this together so quickly, yet with such care, consideration and no little skill.
A beautiful tribute, capturing Ken at some of his happiest times over the years, and a really appropriate and moving soundtrack.
Although it will bring a tear to many an eye, I'm sure that Ken would have loved it.
We did!

Regards,

Scott & Helen

[Caren]

Our memories of Ken will be treasured for the rest of our lives.

Fly with the stars dear friend.

Hans + Caren