Singer John Denver Killed in Plane Crash. On October 12, 1997 singer, songwriter, and actor John Denver was killed when he crashed the Long-EZ aircraft he was piloting after it ran out of fuel just off the coast at Pacific Grove, CA. He was 53.
Yes - very sad, I bet there were a lot more good songs that we have missed Also sad to hear about Gene Wilder, although he would not have been on our screens again - he will be remembered for the lovely man he was and a great comedic actor
OOOhhhhhh I loved JD....some of his songs are among my favourite of all time. What a loss he was to the music lovers of the world!! Here's my very favourite....I always play this when I'm feeling a bit down, it really makes me happy...
Leaving on a jet plane was the song that got me first interested in JD's music when I was a teen Joe...still like it to this day..
John's original title was "Babe, I hate to Go", until his Producer suggested "Leaving on a jet plane". HA!
Yes, he was quite a talent. My sister used to play his albums incessantly. I know all those songs by heart, including some of the lesser known one's like Grandma's Feather Bed, and Bobby's song. I can't remember if she saw him in concert or not. Some people think that his death may have been a suicide, because apparently his plane ran out of gas, and he was a pretty bright guy. That makes me curious, I think I am going to read about it. I miss John Denver too. I think my favorite song of his was Annie's song. I think it is an ideal wedding reception song.
He wasn't very well respected among my generation, I think. At least, people didn't want to be seen with a John Denver album in their collection even though they might listen and enjoy his stuff otherwise. The Monkees were like that -- everyone liked them, but most wouldn't admit it.
No, his death was not a suicide. From what I remember, he had recently bought this plane, and was about to move to California. It had two gas tanks, and he was asked if he wanted to top them up with gas before taking off, and he said no. The problem was the switch to change to the other tank was located behind the seat, and he had to unbuckle his belt and reach around to do it. On top of that, it required a pair of vice grips to operate the switch. Two other pilots who had checked out the plane, found that when reaching around the seat, your leg would move the control causing the plane to start to nose dive. They were at a high enough altitude to recover. He was flying lower and hit the water. If he had topped up the tanks, it would have been OK. The plane was built from a kit, by the previous owner.