Leonard Cohen to play first U.S. show in 15 years

Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen performs at the Glastonbury Festival 2008 in Somerset, southwest England, June 29, 2008.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran folk singer Leonard Cohen, forced back on the road after his business manager lost his retirement savings, will play his first U.S. concert in more than 15 years next month, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The 74-year-old Canadian icon will perform at the Beacon Theater in New York City on February 19. Tickets for the show at the 2,800-seat venue will go on sale on Friday.

A spokeswoman said she could not yet provide details of any additional shows.

Cohen has been on tour since May, playing shows across Canada and Europe. He is about to begin a trek through New Zealand and Australia. After his previous tour in the early 1990s, he retreated to a mountain near Los Angeles to become a Buddhist monk.

He resurfaced in 2005, claiming that his former manager and lover Kelley Lynch misappropriated more than $5 million, reducing his retirement account to $150,000. A Los Angeles court awarded him a $9 million civil judgment, but he has reportedly not been able to collect from Lynch.

Cohen rose to fame in the late 1960s with his poems, songs and novels steeped in detached romance. His half-sung ballads such as "Suzanne," "Hallelujah" and "Bird on a Wire" have been widely covered by other artists.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Mohammad Zargham)