No loss is ever easy and the same goes with the passing of a Canadian Musician. 

Lead man for the band Tragically Hip, Gord Downie lost his battle with cancer this week at the age of 53. 

Many locals, along with people across North America have spent the last few days remembering the last time they saw him light up a stage or their favourite moment as they listened to one of the Tragically Hip albums. 

"He played here in Moose Jaw and the first time I saw him was in the Heritage Inn in the late 1980s and he was just a band playing on the floor. There wasn't even a stage, so you could literally reach out and touch him if you wanted," said Councillor Crystal Froese. "At that moment, at that young age, I knew he was unique."

When asked her favourite song by the band she listed off many but was able to narrow it down to 'It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken'.

"It sort of speaks to participating in life and doing good, it's kind of a call for people to do that. To do your best and to make a difference just like he did. He truly was a man of such a young age of 53 years, who even in his last few months of life made such an impact."

She noted that Downie also was an advocate for Indigenous people and sang about reconciliation often in his lyrics. He was also honoured during a naming ceremony at the 2016 Assembly of First Nations for his efforts in truth and reconcilliation. 

Jackie L'Heureux-Mason, Executive Director for Tourism Moose Jaw, wasn't shy about her love for Downie and the Tragically Hip and also planned a fundraiser last year to collect funds for the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research.

L'Heureux-Mason said there are some people who didn't understand his music but believes they appreciated his talent.

"It's funny because the words relateable and connected always come into play. You end up hearing 'oh, there was this song..' and they know so many of his songs and they might just not have gotten his quirky nature or the fact that he truly was a poet first and a musician second. I think the impact that he and the Tragically Hip are going to have on our future generations, it's a milestone, I think it's going to be a marker for future bands."

"I don't think that I can overstate the fact that it's a Canadian band, one that really made icons of different parts of Canada. That was the fabric of my growing up and my shaping," said L'Heureux-Mason. 

She added that Downie spent part of his time after being diagnosed on stage giving back to his fans and that is something she will cherish forever.