Woodstock Legend Richie Havens Dead at 72

Opened 1969 Woodstock with three-hour set
By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2013 5:34 PM CDT

Richie Havens, the folk singer who opened the 1969 Woodstock festival, died today from a sudden heart attack at home in New Jersey, Rolling Stone reports. He was 72. The Brooklyn-born musician is best known for the three-hour, partially improvised Woodstock set that brought him to prominence (and helped pad out the show until other artists arrived). He released 21 studio albums in his career. Havens also worked as an actor—appearing in the 1972 stage version of The Who's Tommy and 2007 Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, the Wall Street Journal reports. (More obituary stories.)

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