10 Incredible Songs From Musicians Who Knew They Were Dying

"He had driven me so many times, he. I couldn't remember his name. And I probably should've remembered him."

Frontman of Ontario, Canada-based rock band The Tragically Hip as well as a bonafide singles artist in his own right, Downie is regarded as one of Canada's most influential musical performers.

A recipient of the Order of Canada (on par with the British MBE), Downie helped start The Tragically Hip in 1984 with the band cultivating a strong following owing to their experimental songwriting and their lyrical themes that reflected parts of Canadian culture and history in ways the mainstream had never covered before.

Downie found out about his diagnosis in December 2015, six months before the release of the Hip's final studio album, Man Machine Poem. Following a brief support tour, Downie would set out to write his final solo album, Introduce Yerself.

The album is described as referencing individual people in Downie's life, with each track more tragic than the last, but the title track arguably hits the hardest as it is a commentary of Downie's failing mind and how he is forgetting people. His soft vocal execution on top of a gentle piano ballad composition does nothing to contextualise what the man was going through, or the weight of the songs lyrics.