MONTREAL — Musicians and members of both the artistic and medical communities paid tribute Tuesday to a beloved singer-songwriter and a courageous woman as they shared memories of Kate McGarrigle, who died of clear cell sarcoma the day before. The acclaimed folksinger, diagnosed with the rare form of cancer three and a half years ago, died at her home only weeks shy of her 64th birthday.

McGarrigle recorded a series of critically praised albums with her sister Anna between 1976 and 2005. Their compositions have been recorded by such artists as Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg and Anne Sofie von Otter with Elvis Costello.

The singer-songwriter's marriage to singer Loudon Wainwright III, which ended in 1977, produced Rufus and Martha Wainwright, celebrated singers in their own right.

"People who are artists have a great advantage in that their works can survive them," Dane Lanken, Anna McGarrigle's husband, said. "Kate and Anna made an extraordinary collection of records over 30 years and, like all great art, they improve."

Lanken described his sister-in-law as a complex person. "You got a full package with Kate," he said. "It was always interesting and often challenging and compelling, but I remember a lot of fun with Anna and Kate over the years."

Because Martha Wainwright gave birth to a premature baby in Britain on Nov. 16, she is unable to travel until the end of the month, Lanken said. A funeral will probably be postponed until then, he said.

Rufus Wainwright paid tribute to his mother in a message on his website Tuesday. "As I was saying to her sister Anna last night while sitting by her body after the struggle had ceased, there is never enough time and she, my amazing mother with whom everyone fell in love, went out there and bloody did it. I will miss you mother, my sweet and valiant explorer," he wrote.

"I never saw anyone enjoy life as much as she did," said guitarist Michel Pepin, who met the McGarrigle sisters in 1989, and worked and toured with them throughout the rest of their career as a duo.

Pepin recalled McGarrigle as a voracious reader who was curious by nature and highly knowledgeable on many subjects. He also praised her creativity and eagerness to take risks with musicians. "She was always trying to find a way to make things different," he said. "She might suggest that we all play instruments we were less comfortable with to create a fragility, a sense of urgency to a song."

Violinist Joel Zifkin, who played with the McGarrigles in the early 1980s and accompanied them in concert until their final public appearance Dec. 9 at London's Royal Albert Hall — their annual Christmas show — lauded McGarrigles' musicianship and songwriting, particularly a final composition, Proserpina, which was not recorded, but can be viewed live from the Royal Albert Hall show on YouTube.

"I've never heard anything better," Zifkin said. "I'd rank that with anybody's music."

Like Pepin, Zifkin singled out McGarrigle's constant search for more knowledge, particularly of history. "She was fascinating and fascinated," Zifkin said.

Her art, he said, could be found in more than her recordings. "She also inspired and imbued great things in anyone who played with her. Her family was incredibly important to her. One of her great successes is the love they have for music and what they're doing with it."

"The songs of Kate and Anna McGarrigle are as close to the heart of the country as a Tom Thomson painting," said Stuart McLean, host of CBC Radio's The Vinyl Cafe, which showcases Canadian artists as part of its weekly broadcasts. "It is something about the harmony of the voices, the aching of the squeeze box, the easy use of French and English, and our knowledge that everyone singing is either friend or family.

"Their concerts were just like being in their houses. They were decent family people who made joyful music together — and they invited us into their family. With their music, they showed us the country, they showed us their kitchen table," he said.

Singer Penny Lang said she met McGarrigle in Montreal when they were both under 20. She remembered a "young, vibrant human being. She had a great laugh and a devilish character in her own way.

"When she sat down at the piano, it was always magical. It was so alive. It was as if the music came out of her arms and her fingers," Lang said.

Dr. Roger Tabah, a surgical oncologist at the McGill University Health Centre, was part of the team of doctors treating McGarrigle, who established the Kate McGarrigle Fund in partnership with the MUHC and the Cedars Cancer Institute. McGarrigle was honoured, along with Jean Beliveau and others at the institute's Lance Armstrong fundraiser in September.

Proceeds from the McGarrigles' recent Royal Albert Hall show went to the foundation, as did the money from the 2008 show at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Tabah attended the concert, McGarrigle's final public performance.

The fundraising initiative, Tabah said, was "typical of Kate, in her low-key, but thoughtful way. Even though she was very sick, she managed to put on a fantastic show."

Tabah paid tribute to McGarrigle's "courage and her dignity, above all. Never once did she feel sorry for herself. Never once did she ask 'Why me?' Her concerns were really her family and the well-being of those around her," he said.

"I also have tremendous memories of the entire McGarrigle gang — Anna and Jane, her sisters, Martha and Rufus and a number of nieces and nephews," Tabah said. "The entire family is a class act. They were very supportive, very loving."

Donations to the Kate McGarrigle Fund can be made by phoning 514-931-5656 or online at http://www.muhcfoundation.com/en/kate