Dan Fogelberg

It was a very sad day, December 16th. Dan Fogelberg passed away quietly in his home in Maine from prostate cancer. He was only 56 years old.

Dan was born on August 13, 1951 in Peoria, Illinois. The son of a high school band director. Later, one of Dan’s songs would be a tribute to his dad - “Leader of the Band.” He graduated from high school in 1969 and began attending college and singing on the side. He decided to drop out of college and take up singing full time. His father, although not very happy, was supportive. He told Dan that he should give it a year and if it didn’t work out to return to college. Dan agreed.

Of course, the rest is history. In 1972 he released his first album, but it was not well received. His second album, Souvenirs made him a star.

Fogelberg wrote very personal songs and was involved in social issues such as peace, Native American concerns and “no nukes.”

In 2004, Fogelberg was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After a round of treatment, he thought he may have conquered the disease. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case and he passed away. He was married three times and his wife Jean was at his side when he died. He had no children.

Here’s to “The Leader of the Band:”