Sad news about The Bands' Levon Helm

[Wild-Honey]

From The Band website today:

Dear Friends,

Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey.

Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage...

We appreciate all the love and support and concern.
From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy

[hypehat]

Oh no.

[CosmicDancer]

Let me share with you all my story about meeting Levon back in 2008.  It'll give you even more respect for the wonderful man.  Truly a gentleman and a class act.  Godspeed Levon:

"Levon Helm played in my hometown (Knoxville, TN) last night and I was blessed enough to get a free ticket and get backstage to meet him and his band. Levon, and everyone else in the band for that matter, were increadibly nice people and class acts! First of all, they put on a killer show with Levon playing drums most of the night and let me tell you, the man still has that killer groove behind the skins that you hear on the old Band classics. His voice has weathered a bit, but he is 60+ years old and has survived throat cancer for crying out loud! I was actually surprised by how good he still sounded.

Now then, to the reason that I got to meet him and the reason I now have even more respect for the man as a human being than I did before:

The drummer and singer in my band both teach middle school. One of the English teachers at the school does a project with her kids where they write letters to celebrities that they like/respect with the intentions of teaching the kids how to properly write a business style letter. Most of the celebs will send a photo or something back, which is cool. Well, the teacher, Kay Norris, also writes one as an example for the students. She wrote her's to Levon. He calls the school last week asking for her, tells her how much he respects teachers and that they are overworked and underpaid, gives her his phone number(!), and gives her 24 free tickets to the show and backstage passes!!! We get to the show and in the middle of it all, he dedicates the entire show to Kay Norris and the Clinton Middle School staff! Aferwards, we get backstage and meet the band and Levon comes out, takes the time to talk to everyone one of us and is increadibly gracious. I just shook his hand and told him how much I greatly appreciated his contribution to the world of music and just how much his music really means to me. Since there were so many people, I didn't bother with the autograph/picture routine as I'm sure he was tired and had already done more than enough for us. I had already felt blessed enough just to meet the man. Anyways, He then talks more with Kay and tells him to call her to set up a conference style call for her classroom so he can speak to all of her students!! I was in awe!!

In an age where so many celebrities are total jerks and seem to have no gratitude for their fans, it was refreshing to meet a man who is a legend in the music industry and have him be so kind, thankful and just seem to be such a genuinely good person. I came away from the meeting with a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Helm."

Thanks for everything, Levon.

[Wild-Honey]

Let me share with you all my story about meeting Levon back in 2008.  It'll give you even more respect for the wonderful man.  Truly a gentleman and a class act.  Godspeed Levon:

"Levon Helm played in my hometown (Knoxville, TN) last night and I was blessed enough to get a free ticket and get backstage to meet him and his band. Levon, and everyone else in the band for that matter, were increadibly nice people and class acts! First of all, they put on a killer show with Levon playing drums most of the night and let me tell you, the man still has that killer groove behind the skins that you hear on the old Band classics. His voice has weathered a bit, but he is 60+ years old and has survived throat cancer for crying out loud! I was actually surprised by how good he still sounded.

Now then, to the reason that I got to meet him and the reason I now have even more respect for the man as a human being than I did before:

The drummer and singer in my band both teach middle school. One of the English teachers at the school does a project with her kids where they write letters to celebrities that they like/respect with the intentions of teaching the kids how to properly write a business style letter. Most of the celebs will send a photo or something back, which is cool. Well, the teacher, Kay Norris, also writes one as an example for the students. She wrote her's to Levon. He calls the school last week asking for her, tells her how much he respects teachers and that they are overworked and underpaid, gives her his phone number(!), and gives her 24 free tickets to the show and backstage passes!!! We get to the show and in the middle of it all, he dedicates the entire show to Kay Norris and the Clinton Middle School staff! Aferwards, we get backstage and meet the band and Levon comes out, takes the time to talk to everyone one of us and is increadibly gracious. I just shook his hand and told him how much I greatly appreciated his contribution to the world of music and just how much his music really means to me. Since there were so many people, I didn't bother with the autograph/picture routine as I'm sure he was tired and had already done more than enough for us. I had already felt blessed enough just to meet the man. Anyways, He then talks more with Kay and tells him to call her to set up a conference style call for her classroom so he can speak to all of her students!! I was in awe!!

In an age where so many celebrities are total jerks and seem to have no gratitude for their fans, it was refreshing to meet a man who is a legend in the music industry and have him be so kind, thankful and just seem to be such a genuinely good person. I came away from the meeting with a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Helm."

Thanks for everything, Levon.

What a fantastic experience! Thank you for sharing.  What a legend of a man, he has true appreciation for his fans.   Prayers for him and his family.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Yeah, I heard about that last night. One of my very favourites.

[grillo]

Only Garth and that damnable Robbie are left. The Band is no more...
So long, and best of luck Levon.

[Lonely Summer]

You can see what a gentleman Levon is during the interviews in The Last Waltz. Great to listen to him talk, even better to hear him sing or play. Definately had his own unique style on the drums, I'm sure I tried to copy his playing when I was starting out.

[Jay]

Levon Helm was, is, and always will be one of the greats. Listen to those drum rolls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Y987Uf1wY

[Bill M]

Love how Levon sings & plays his ass off in that clip, then at the end stands up to give props to the horn section. Very humble.

[Aum Bop Diddit]

Saw this on another message board from Robbie Robertson:


"Last week I was shocked and so saddened to hear that my old band mate, Levon, was in the final stages of his battle with cancer. It hit me really hard because I thought he had beaten throat cancer and had no idea that he was this ill. I spoke with his family and made arrangements to go and see him.

"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. It was heartwarming to be greeted by his lovely daughter Amy, whom I have known since she was born. Amy’s mother, Libby Titus, and her husband, Donald Fagen, were so kind to help walk me through this terrible time of sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sandy.

"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."

Robbie Robertson


I imagine Levon's beef with ("damnable") Robbie was over money, and maybe justifiably so.  But like a marriage, there are two sides, and no one else can really know.  Regardless, the Band was responsible for some of the best music of the Rock era, and Levon was certainly at the heart of it.

God bless Levon, and the Band.

[bgas]

Sadly, he passed today at 1:30

[hypehat]

That's so sad. RIP, Levon. A truly great musician. I'm really quite torn up about this.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

So am I. I've been listening to The Band non-stop for the last two days.

[Wild-Honey]

Sadly, he passed today at 1:30

RIP Levon and thanks for the music    I'm quite torn up myself

[hypehat]

I'm welling up at this. He seems so happy here, so full of energy and joy with what he's doing. And what a fine thing to be at the end of your days. A wonderful man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVey5eGRZqk

[bgas]

I'm welling up at this. He seems so happy here, so full of energy and joy with what he's doing. And what a fine thing to be at the end of your days. A wonderful man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVey5eGRZqk

WOW!  Levon  was the firearms expert  from SHOOTER( I didn't know that till just now)
What a great talent he had.

[Rob Dean]

Sadly, he passed today at 1:30

RIP Levon and thanks for the music    I'm quite torn up myself

Same here , to a fellow drummer R.I.P. :-(((((((((((((((((((( XX

[Rob Dean]

I'm welling up at this. He seems so happy here, so full of energy and joy with what he's doing. And what a fine thing to be at the end of your days. A wonderful man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVey5eGRZqk

Thanks Hype (I think) for the link , I'm very very sad watching this , very spirited but the poor lad is struggling  R.I.P.

[Jay]

About seven or eight years ago, I saw Levon Helm talking on tv. I'm pretty sure it was from a biography episode on Bob Dylan. Levon could barely speak, and my heart sunk. Somehow I knew that he was in trouble.

[CarCrazyCutie]

I was all broken up over Dick Clark, and then I heard about Levon Just horrible. I've adored him for as long as I can remember. When you lose people you've admired so much and for so long it really feels like losing family.  Not only a huge loss because of the human being and enormous talent he was, but because the Band's last voice has been silenced. I can't see a bright side in situations like this, but at least him, Rick, and Richard (& their amazing sound) are together again. Maybe they're even jamming with Dennis & Carl tonight

[Jay]

Think of it this way...Not only is Levon now reunited with Rick and Richard, but he also gets to see all the people that put on the minstrel shows in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He gets to see the original W.S. Walcott Medicine Show. Somewhere up there in the sky, there is one hell of a great midnight ramble going on.   

[GuyO]

And apparently Chris Ethridge, original bassist of the Flying Burrito Brothers, is about to join them soon as well 

[donald]

Think of it this way...Not only is Levon now reunited with Rick and Richard, but he also gets to see all the people that put on the minstrel shows in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He gets to see the original W.S. Walcott Medicine Show. Somewhere up there in the sky, there is one hell of a great midnight ramble going on.   

I like to think so.  A very nice image.  Who knows? 

[SMiLE Brian]

Glad Robbie and Levon got to see each other one last time.