Richie Havens Dies Of Heart Attack At 72; Woodstock Opener Was Voice Of His Generation

Richie Havens, who became the voice of a generation when he was the Woodstock opener in 1969, died Monday in New Jersey. Havens was 72. Richie Havens was famous for the performance in which he improvised on the song "Freedom" and other pop and folk covers in his unique rhythmic cadence.

Richie Havens died at his home in Jersey City, NJ. His agent, Tim Drake, said the cause of death was a heart attack.

Havens was born in 1941 and grew up in Brooklyn, later rising to fame in Greenwich Village in the early 60s. He signed his first big contract with Bob Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman, and got a record deal with Verve Records. His rendition of "Handsome Johnny" was a universal anti-Vietnam War anthem. His 1971 remake of The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun was his highest-charting single, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Havens recorded more than two dozen albums, acted in movies, and was a political activist who advocated for environmental education and performed at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993. Somewhat incongruously, Havens also sang the Cotton Incorporated jingle,The Fabric of Our Lives, among other commercial work.

Richie Havens is best remembered for his unforgettable performance at Woodstock, and he remains a symbol for that generation and an oft-cited influence for subsequent later decades of musicians.  Havens opened at Woodstock due to a happy accident-- the scheduled opening act, the folk-rock band Sweetwater, was stuck in traffic. Havens, who was scheduled to go on fifth, arrived by helicopter with his guitarist and drummer.

Havens often covered songs by other musicians in his distinct style, created, in part, because his hands were so large. He played several Bob Dylan songs, and was once practicing Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" in a nightclub when a man who stopped him on the stairs and told him it was the best he'd ever heard the song sung.

"That's how I first met Bob Dylan," Mr. Havens said.

Havens retired from live performing in 2012 due to health problems. According to a press release from his management, a public memorial will be planned.