Folk Legend Richie Havens Dies at 72

Famed folk legend Richie Havens, who opened Woodstock in 1969, has died at the age of 72. Havens reportedly passed away this morning from a sudden heart attack.

In recent weeks, Havens had suffered from immerging health concerns. The following letter was posted upon his official Facebook page:

"Dear Friends

As many of you already know, Richie had kidney surgery a year and a half ago. Though he did return to the stage after that for numerous concerts, he truly never regained the physical strength required to put on the kind of shows for which he's always been known, and coupled with ongoing health concerns, the traveling and performing have simply become too hard on him for him to be able to continue. After 45 years of non-stop touring, this is a sad and unexpected reality.

From Woodstock to The Isle of Wight to Glastonbury to the Fillmore Auditorium to Royal Albert Hall to Carnegie Hall, Richie has played the most legendary music festivals that ever were, and most of the world's greatest concert venues. But even when performing in a Greenwich Village coffeehouse or a small club or regional theater, he's always been eternally grateful that people in any number turned up each time to hear him sing. More than anything, he feels incredibly blessed to have met so many of you along the way."

Gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music, Richie Havens had a soulful singing style that remained as unique and ageless as when he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. It's a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences from the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in 1969, to the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993 - coming full circle with the 40th Woodstock Anniversary celebration at Bethel Woods, New York in 2009.

A public memorial service for Havens will be announced in the coming days.

Photo by: Rex USA

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