Singer/Songwriter Dan Fogelberg Dies At Age 56
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Album:Portrait: The Music Of Dan Fogelberg
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He was the voice and multi-instrumentalist behind songs like "Leader of the Band," "The Power of Gold" and "Same Old Lang Syne." His career in folk and soft rock music, which channeled a likeliness to Jackson Browne and James Taylor, included the classic 1977 album Nether Lands ("Dancing Shoes," "Phoenix," and "Longer".) But on Sunday, singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg lost his battle with prostate cancer. He was 56. 
A post on his official Web site confirmed: "He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife Jean at his side. His strength, dignity, and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."Born in Peoria, Illinois to a music teacher father, Fogelberg quit college to make it big out West in the music industry. After hooking up with then up-and-coming manager Irving Azoff, who he'd met at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Fogelberg moved to Los Angeles where he nailed a deal with Clive Davis and Columbia Records.He recorded many albums and collaborated with the likes of Joe Walsh, Graham Nash, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas, mandolinist David Grisman, Chris Hillman, Vince Gill, and Ricky Scaggs. The latter six all appeared on his 1985 album High Country Snows, which became one of the best-selling bluegrass albums of all time (next to Jerry Garcia's Old And In The Way.)As talented as a musician as he was a storyteller, Fogelberg was one of the first ten people to be inducted into the Performers Hall of Fame in 2002.In 2003 he released his first album of new material in a decade, dubbed Full Circle. His plans to tour the album were cut short after his 2004 diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer."It is truly overwhelming and humbling," Fogelberg said in a 2004 statement, "to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years."
A post on his official Web site confirmed: "He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife Jean at his side. His strength, dignity, and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."Born in Peoria, Illinois to a music teacher father, Fogelberg quit college to make it big out West in the music industry. After hooking up with then up-and-coming manager Irving Azoff, who he'd met at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Fogelberg moved to Los Angeles where he nailed a deal with Clive Davis and Columbia Records.He recorded many albums and collaborated with the likes of Joe Walsh, Graham Nash, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas, mandolinist David Grisman, Chris Hillman, Vince Gill, and Ricky Scaggs. The latter six all appeared on his 1985 album High Country Snows, which became one of the best-selling bluegrass albums of all time (next to Jerry Garcia's Old And In The Way.)As talented as a musician as he was a storyteller, Fogelberg was one of the first ten people to be inducted into the Performers Hall of Fame in 2002.In 2003 he released his first album of new material in a decade, dubbed Full Circle. His plans to tour the album were cut short after his 2004 diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer."It is truly overwhelming and humbling," Fogelberg said in a 2004 statement, "to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years."
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