Levon Helm Of The Band Dead At Age 71

Levon Helm has been pronounced dead at 71, according to Rolling Stone.

The artist, best known for songs like The Weight, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Up on Cripple Creek, died on April 19 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

He passed away peacefully at 1:30 this afternoon surrounded by his friends and bandmates, Helm's longtime guitarist Larry Campbell told Rolling Stone. All his friends were there, and it seemed like Levon was waiting for them. Ten minutes after they left we sat there and he just faded away. He did it with dignity. It was even two days ago they thought it would happen within hours, but he held on. It seems like he was Levon up to the end, doing it the way he wanted to do it. He loved us, we loved him.

Helm, the former drummer for The Band, was said to be in the final stages of cancer, according to a statement from his family on April 18.

The singer was diagnosed with throat cancer in the 1990s, but further damaged his vocal cords after undergoing radiation treatment.

Helm is known for his deeply soulful, country-accented voice, and a creative drumming style highlighted on many of The Band's recordings, such as Ophelia and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

As The Band broke up in 1976, Helm began working on his now highly regarded solo career.

He recorded solo albums in 1980 and 1982 entitled American Son and the self-titled Levon Helm, respectively.

In 2008, Helm earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for his 2007 comeback, Dirt Farmer.

In November 2008, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Levon Helm number 91 in the list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Despite his battle with cancer, Helm had been very active on the touring scene.

He even had some dates lined up this month at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and his Midnight Ramble Show that he hosted in Woodstock, NY, but he was forced to cancel the shows due to his condition

The Band feat. Levon Helm - Up On Cripple Creek