Friends remember ‘enormously talented’ Toronto musician Adam Litovitz

TORONTO — A funeral service will be held Friday in northwest Toronto for musician, composer and writer Adam Litovitz, whose diverse talents and thoughtful, whimsical spirit touched many in the arts community.

Canadian filmmaker, musician and broadcaster Sook-Yin Lee, his close friend and collaborator, tweeted a link to details for the service at Steeles Memorial Chapel.

“I am so blessed you were in my life,” Lee wrote on Twitter, referring to Litovitz as “a pure light.”

His obituary on the funeral home site says Litovitz died on Sunday. He was 36.

Toronto Police had reported Litovitz missing and later confirmed he had been found dead and that there was no criminal investigation.

Litovitz and Lee created many arts projects together, including dance performances and their band JOOJ, which released a self-titled debut album in 2015.

They also worked together on her feature films, including the romantic comedy-drama “Year of the Carnivore” and the supernatural drama “Octavio is Dead!”

For “Year of the Carnivore” they shared a 2011 Genie Award nomination for best original score with Buck 65.

For “Octavio is Dead!” Litovitz and Lee shared a 2019 Canadian Screen Award nomination for best song for “Ghost of Love (Onakabazien Remix).”

Litovitz, who was born in Toronto, was also a poet, story editor and writer on films. He was the son of Allan Litovitz and the late Malca Litovitz, a poet.

Toronto-based cartoonist Chester Brown, who was close friends with Litovitz, said he was “enormously talented” and “impressed everyone who met him.”

While he had been battling depression and was questioning his career in recent months, he remained a gentle spirit, Brown added in a phone interview.

The word “gentle” is a common one Litovitz’s friends and colleagues have been using to describe him in their tributes on social media.

“The only times I can remember ever seeing him angry were when someone, say in print or verbally attacked Sook-Yin or one of his friends,” Brown said.

“But if someone would attack him, he would not react in anger to a situation like that. He would just be reasonable. Very mild-mannered, sweet-tempered, intelligent, bookworm, very well-read.”

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press