After living with a form of terminal brain cancer for more than a year, Gord Downie, the legendary front man of the Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip, has died at the age of 53.

, the band confirmed that Downie died 鈥渨ith his beloved children and family close by鈥� on Tuesday night.

The Canadian musician was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, in December 2015. He leaves behind four children.

鈥淕ord knew this day was coming 鈥� his response was to spend this precious time as he always had 鈥� making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss鈥� on the lips,鈥� the statement said.

As news of Downie鈥檚 death spread Wednesday morning, from musicians, fans, and politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that 鈥淕ord did not rest from working for the issues he cared about, and his commitment and passion will continue to motivate Canadians for years to come.鈥�

He also took a moment to express his gratitude towards his friend to reporters gathered in Ottawa.

鈥淲e are less as a country without Gord Downie in it,鈥� . 鈥淲e all knew it was coming but we hoped it wasn鈥檛. I thought I was going to make it through this, but I鈥檓 not. It hurts.鈥�

In Downie鈥檚 hometown of Kingston, Ont., hundreds gathered in a downtown square to lay flowers, light candles and sign a long sheet of paper expressing condolences. His distinct voice could be heard throughout the streets as shops and restaurants played a steady rotation of Tragically Hip songs in his honour.

Kingston city hall was lit up in red and white in Downie鈥檚 memory, and local buses displayed their own heartfelt tributes: "Gord, We'll Miss You."

In the evening, well-wishers carrying guitars gathered outside city hall to commemorate Downie in song.

Bryan Paterson, the city鈥檚 mayor, called Downie鈥檚 death 鈥漚 sad day for Kingston.鈥�

"But you can't help but think about all the memories, all of the amazing things that he and the rest of the band have done for this community. I often reflect on how it doesn't matter what your musical tastes are, if you're in Kingston, you're a big fan of Gord and the Tragically Hip. They have done so much," he said.

More than 3 decades of music

Known for his energetic live performances and poetic lyrics, Downie has been a fixture on the Canadian music scene since 鈥渢he Hip,鈥� as his band is lovingly called by their fans, formed while they were in high school in 1984 in Kingston, Ont. Downie, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, drummer Johnny Fay and guitarist Paul Langlois released their first self-titled EP three years later in 1987.

For more than 30 years, the singer-songwriter wrote countless hits such as, 鈥淏obcaygeon,鈥� 鈥淎head By a Century,鈥� 鈥淐ourage,鈥� and 鈥淣ew Orleans is Sinking.鈥�

With more than a dozen Tragically Hip studio albums, and several other solo projects, including five studio albums, Downie was considered one of the Canada鈥檚 most revered singer-songwriters.

In 2005, at the Juno Awards Show in Winnipeg, cementing the band鈥檚 place in this country鈥檚 music history.

Although they never reached the same level of fame in the U.S. or elsewhere, the musicians were repeatedly honoured at home with 16 Juno Awards, a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame and a dedicated postage stamp with their image on it.

Fans learned of Downie鈥檚 sickness in May of last year when the band also announced they would be heading on tour for their 14th studio album 鈥淢an Machine Poem,鈥� which many believed would be their last.

The 15-show 鈥渇arewell tour鈥� in the summer of 2016 quickly sold out stadiums. The final stop, in the band鈥檚 hometown of Kingston, Ont. in August, was broadcast live across the country.

At the 2017 Juno Awards, 鈥淢an Machine Poem鈥� took home the award for Rock Album of the Year and the Tragically Hip won Group of the Year for the third time in the band鈥檚 history.

Advocacy and activism

Downie capitalized on the increased attention during the tour to highlight problems facing Indigenous communities in Canada. He gave a special shout out to Trudeau during the Kingston concert thanking him for his efforts to mend relations with First Nations.

"He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what's going on up there. And what's going on up there ain't good,鈥� he told the crowd. 鈥�(But) we're going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help."

Following the tour, the tireless artist released an acclaimed multimedia project called 鈥淪ecret Path鈥� in October, 2016. The venture included a studio album, graphic novel and animated film for TV, which told the true story of a 12-year-old Indigenous boy named Chanie Wenjack who died from hunger and exposure in 1966, as he was trying to return home after running away from a residential school in northern Ontario.

The project won three Junos in April and was nominated for a 2017 Polaris Music Prize. All of the proceeds from 鈥淪ecret Path鈥� were donated to the University of Manitoba鈥檚 National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

In recognition of his work to bring awareness to Indigenous issues, Downie was inducted into the Order of Canada in June. He was also honoured, along with his bandmates, by the Order of Canada for their 鈥渃ontribution to Canadian music and for their support of various social and environmental causes.鈥�

On top of advocacy for Canada鈥檚 Indigenous population, Downie also dedicated the final months of his life to raising money for brain cancer research with the in Toronto. The Hip鈥檚 鈥淢an Machine Poem鈥� tour raised more than $1 million, according to the Sunnybrook Foundation.

In addition to Downie鈥檚 contributions to Indigenous causes and brain cancer research, the hardworking musician also devoted much of his time to protecting the environment. He was an outspoken opponent of oil pipelines and voiced concern about projects threatening Canadian waterways, such as protecting Lake Ontario through his work as a board member of the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper charity group.

鈥淲e are heartbroken by the loss of our board member and friend Gord Downie. His passion and hard work made each of us better. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time,鈥� the organization said on Wednesday.

Fans in mourning may find comfort in the upcoming release of 23 new original songs by Downie. His solo album 鈥淚ntroduce Yerself鈥� with collaborator Kevin Drew is scheduled to be released Oct. 27. The tracks were recorded in January and February of 2017, .

Downie鈥檚 family thanked the hospital staff that cared for him, his bandmates, management team, friends, and supporters for the love they gave him throughout his life.

鈥淭hose tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars,鈥� his family said in the statement.