Leonard Cohen's loss has turned out to be his fans' gain.

His financial loss, that is.

Earlier this decade, the renowned Canadian singer, songwriter, poet and novelist discovered that his former manager had fleeced him of nearly all of his savings. Without that incentive, it seems unlikely that Cohen, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee last year, would still be on the road at age 75.

But he is, performing a series of luminous shows in Europe and America that have allowed some of his supporters the chance to see the reclusive artist, who hasn't toured since 1994.

Despite a decadeslong career, wide critical acclaim and the near-universal respect of his peers, Cohen is not widely known to the general public.

At best, he is recognized as the composer of the song "Hallelujah," which was covered by Jeff Buckley on the late singer's 1994 album, "Grace." The song was subsequently associated with the film "Shrek" in two versions: John Cale's, which appeared in the movie, and Rufus Wainwright's, which was on the soundtrack album. It reportedly has been covered by more than 200 artists and was even performed on "American Idol."

But Cohen has dozens of notable songs to his name, including the prayerful yet sensual folk song "Suzanne," from his 1967 debut album, "Songs of Leonard Cohen." Others include "Ain't No Cure for Love," "Bird on a Wire," "I'm Your Man" and "First We Take Manhattan."

As with "Hallelujah," the cover versions are sometimes better known than the originals. Among the artists who have performed his songs are Judy Collins, R.E.M., Michael Bublé, Jennifer Warnes, Nick Cave, Willie Nelson and Elton John. He's been feted with several tribute albums and even a film, Lian Lunson's "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" (2006).

Stylistically, Cohen's albums have ranged from the stark minimalism of his early works to the full orchestrations of his 1977 album "Death of a Ladies' Man" (produced by "Wall of Sound" auteur Phil Spector) to jazz, synth pop and rock.

His songs trade on broad themes of relationships, politics, war, mental health and religion. Those last two items are of special interest to Cohen, who has said he sees no contradiction in being an observant Jew and a Zen monk who spent five years living in a Buddhist monastery.

In his recent concert film "Live in London," Cohen says that his search for faith and happiness has taken many wrong turns but that he continues to move onward and upward.

"I've taken a lot of Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Efexor, Ritalin, Focalin," he says. "I've also studied deeply in the philosophies and the religions. But cheerfulness kept breaking through."