TORONTO 鈥� Canadian singer Jann Arden has always had a realistic outlook on death.
Growing up in Springbank, Alta., she saw farm animals die and had frank discussions about such matters with her parents, who didn鈥檛 view death as a taboo topic.
鈥淲hen my parents started getting sick and we were just little kids, my mom used to say, 鈥榃ell, you鈥檙e going to die some day, so you better get living,鈥� 鈥� the eight-time Juno Award-winning artist recalled in an interview.
Arden has expressed such a viewpoint in interviews in the past but didn鈥檛 realize what kind of an impact it might have until this week, when she was surprised to see her words of wisdom in the highly anticipated new book by former FBI director James Comey.
The quote attributed to Arden 鈥� 鈥淭o not think of dying, is to not think of living鈥� 鈥� kicks off the book鈥檚 first chapter, titled 鈥淭he Life.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 really fascinating. I鈥檓 very touched by it and I think it鈥檚 really cool,鈥� Arden told the Canadian Press by phone Tuesday, the day the book hit shelves.
鈥淚 know how important words are to me and I鈥檓 glad that it resonated with him. I think he鈥檚 in a precarious position and has taken a lot of blows the last year or so, and I hope he鈥檚 part of the equation that brings down this guy 鈥� that brings some light to this presidency.鈥�
Arden said she has seen the quote attributed to her a couple of times in other circumstances. She thinks it came from an interview she did 鈥渕any years ago,鈥� perhaps from a health and wellness magazine.
鈥淚 always find that people gravitate toward that quote,鈥� said the singer-songwriter, who鈥檚 known for hits including I Would Die For You and Insensitive.
鈥淚 read about these guys at a university in the States that had used that quote as well and I wonder if [Comey] took it from a speech that they had given and attributed to me. I鈥檓 not sure. Who knows. We鈥檒l have to ask him some day, huh?鈥�
Not that Arden has plans to run into Comey any time soon.
She said she doesn鈥檛 know him and had no idea she was on his radar.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure he has no idea that I鈥檓 even a musician,鈥� said the always quick-witted Arden, who has written three books, had various TV stints and produced two documentaries.
Arden first learned of the quote in the Comey book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies & Leadership, on Twitter on Monday night. She then downloaded the book onto her tablet and planned to read it on a plane to Toronto on Wednesday.
鈥淚 had a really good chuckle last night, went to bed with a smile on my face,鈥� Arden said.
鈥淵ou really get a sense of how big words are and that they make their way, and that they mean things to people 鈥� people that you would never imagine meeting or knowing or anything else.鈥�
As for the quote itself, Arden sticks by it.
鈥淚鈥檓 always fascinated by people who are like, 鈥極h, I don鈥檛 want to talk about [death]鈥� or they don鈥檛 do a will. Like, do your will 鈥� don鈥檛 screw up your entire family. It鈥檚 a nightmare being an executor when nothing is organized,鈥� Arden said.
鈥淚 have said that a few times: you have to think about dying. You have to just think about it, because it鈥檚 liberating.鈥�
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