Lorca Cohen

Lorca Cohen (born 1974) is the daughter of poet/singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and artist Suzanne Elrod.<ref name="Guardian2004-09-17" /> She has two children: Lyon Cohen, named after Leonard's grandfather; and Viva Cohen, who was fathered by a childhood friend, singer Rufus Wainwright, also the child of famous singer-songwriters. Her first name is taken in honor of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, who was an influence on her father. Although Cohen referred to Elrod as his wife, they weren't married, Cohen claiming to have "chickened out" at the last moment. Cohen and Elrod stopped living together in 1979.<ref name="TheJc2012-03-29" /> Lorca and her older brother Adam (b. 1972) were raised primarily by their mother and had visits with Cohen in New York City, Los Angeles, and Hydra, Greece.
Lorca has worked as a professional photographer.
Lorca became part owner of an antiques store in Los Angeles.<ref name="NYTimes2013-06-23" /> In October 2004 a disgruntled lover of her father's financial advisor, Kelley Lynch, came to the store to suggest Lorca look into how her father's finances were being managed.<ref name="NYTimes2005-10-06" /> Lorca did examine her father's finances, and had the unpleasant task of informing him that Lynch had emptied his bank accounts and sold the rights to his music.<ref name="MorningLedger2016-11-12" /><ref name="GlobeAndMail2006-03-02" />
On December 16, 2010, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles showcased a series of eleven commissioned art videos inspired by songs from New Skin for the Old Ceremony.<ref name=LATimes2010-12-16 /> The project was curated by Lorca Cohen and Darin Klein. The artists participating in the project were Brent Green, Alex da Corte, Wenston Currie, Theo Angell, Christian Holstad, Sylvan and Lily Lanken, "Lucky Dragons," Kelly Sears, Brett Milspaw, Peter Coffin and Tina Tyrell.<ref name=UclsHammer /> On April 14, 2011, the program screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In 2011 Lorca and Wainwright agreed to conceive a child, Viva Wainwright Cohen.<ref name="TheGuardian2011-02-21a" /><ref name="Guardian2011-02-21" /><ref name="TheGuardian2011-02-21b" /><ref name=WainwrightVivaPressRelease />
Wainwright describes Lorca as suggesting she bear a child.<ref name="DailyRecord2012-04-20" /> His decision to agree occurred when his mother, Kate McGarrigle, was dying and he promised her he would accept Lorca's offer.<ref name="DailyRecord2012-04-20" /> He says he was sorry she died before Viva was born.
Lorca subsequently had another child, a son, named Lyon Cohen, after Leonard's grandfather.<ref name=LATimes2016-11-17/>
In a January 2017 interview Wainwright's sister, musician Martha Wainwright, described visiting Leonard Cohen, when she hung out with Lorca—because Leonard had an apartment upstairs, and he would come down to join his daughter and her friends.<ref name=HotPress2017-01-27 />
 
< Prev   Next >