Kate McGarrigle passes away, aged 63

Kate McGarrigle

 Kate McGarrigle of the Canadian folk duo The McGarrigle Sisters passed away on Monday evening after a two-year battle with clear-cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She was reportedly in her Montreal home at the time, along with her children, singers Rufus and Martha Wainwright, as well as her sisters Jane and Anna and her brother-in-law.

After cancelling his latest tour due to the illness in the family, Rufus since took to his website to share his sentiments on his mother’s passing:

When inevitably I read today in the papers that my mother lost her battle with cancer last night, I am filled with an immense desire to add that this battle, though lost, was tremendously fruitful during these last three and a half years of her life. She witnessed her daughter’s marriage, the creation of my first opera, the birth of her first grandchild Arcangelo, and gave the greatest performance of her life to a packed crowd at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Not to mention traveling to some of the world’s most incredible places with both my sister, her husband Brad, my boyfriend Jorn and myself. Yes, it was all too brief, but as I was saying to her sister Anna last night while sitting by her body after the struggle had ceased, there is never enough time and she, my amazing mother with whom everyone fell in love, went out there and bloody did it.  I will miss you mother, my sweet and valiant explorer, lebwohl and adio. X