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Levon Helm, Drummer And Singer For The Band, Dies At 71
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 19, 2012
Modified Apr 19, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 19, 2012
Modified Apr 19, 2012
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Levon Helm, the legendary drummer and singer of The Band, died today after a long battle with cancer. "We lost Levon at 1:30 today surrounded by friends and family and his musicians have visited him," said Larry Campbell, Helm's longtime guitarist and band leader. "As sad as this was, it was very peaceful." Helm, who died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, was 71.
On Tuesday evening, Helm's family posted a heartfelt message online asking fans to send their support to the dying drummer. Dedications have been pouring forth ever since, from family, friends and bandmates as well: "I am too sad for words right now," wrote The Band's Garth Hudson. "Please continue praying for Levon and family."
Robbie Robertson, one of the founding members of The Band whom Helm had a complicated history with, visited him in the hospital over the weekend, and described the experience on his Facebook:
On Sunday I went to New York and visited him in the hospital. I sat with Levon for a good while, and thought of the incredible and beautiful times we had together...Levon is one of the most extraordinary talented people I've ever known and very much like an older brother to me. I am so grateful I got to see him one last time and will miss him and love him forever.
Rolling Stone named Helm one of the 100 greatest singers of all time largely on the back of his work with The Band. Helm was the only American-born member in the group (and the only southerner)—and he was their jovial heart, playing drums on the vast majority of their songs as well as singing lead on classics such as "The Night They Drove Old Dixies Down," "The Weight," "Strawberry Wine," and "Up On Cripple Creek."
His profound joy in playing music wasn't lost on his admirers: “I don’t think," said musician David Kraai of Gardiner, who saw Helm perform dozens of times, “I’ve ever seen anyone happier when they’re playing music than Levon Helm.” For those interested in Helm or the music of The Band, we can't recommend his witty, lovely book "This Wheel's On Fire: Levon Helm And The Story Of The Band" highly enough. As Charles Pierce put it in a moving tribute to Helm in Esquire: "This was healing music, but it was in no way peaceful. Levon's voice made sure of that. It was tough and sound and brooked no easy answers...He was the true Voice of America, as far as I'm concerned."
Helm was a Grammy-winning member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—in addition to his work with The Band, Helm was known in his later years for his acclaimed Midnight Ramble house concerts in Woodstock, which revitalized his career even as he struggled with throat cancer since the early '90s. You can see several vintage videos of Helm and The Band performing above, and below, check out a recent PBS interview.
Watch Quick Hits: An Interview with Levon Helm on PBS. See more from Sound Tracks.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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