Dan Fogelberg, Singer-Songwriter, Dies of Cancer

Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg has passed away from advanced prostate cancer, Sunday. His wife, Jean, posted official notice via the singer's official website.

The news comes just a few years after Fogelberg's comeback album of sorts - 2003's Full Circle. An another unfortunate circumstance, longtime drummer for Dan, Michael Botts (ex-Bread), just passed away from colon cancer a few years ago. Botts was in Fogelberg's band for Dan's recent appearance on PBS's Soundstage program.

Dan Fogelberg was born in 1951 in Peoria IL. His father, Lawrence, was a band director in the local school system (thus inspring the song "Leader of the Band". After playing coffee houses in the the University of Illinois area of Champaign-Urbana, Dan caught the eye of local manager Irving Azoff who also managed REO Speedwagon. Fogelberg and Azoff moved to California during the singer-songwriter boom of the early 1970s and secured a record contract.

Slowly but surely, Fogelberg's easy and earnest style earned him a string of hit singles and albums, as well as a dedicated following of fans. His 1981 double-album The Innocent Age serves as one of the high watermarks of both his career and the singer-songwriter genre. Fogelberg's career continued into the 1980s and 1990s, where his style gradually fell out of favor with radio and video formats. Nonetheless, he still retained a dedicated following of supporters, and continued to embrace different styles of music. His last major radio hit was an Otis Redding style cover of The Cascades "Rhythm of the Rain" in 1990.

For more information on this breaking news please visit:

Dan Fogelberg Official Web Site -- http://www.danfogelberg.com

The Living Legacy -- http://www.thelivinglegacy.net