I was stunned to learn this morning that Dan Fogelberg had passed away at the age of 56. I remember his name coming up when I was in college, and I said, “I always loved his song about his father, ‘The Leader of the Band.’” My roommate chimed in with, “I always liked ‘Another Auld Lang Syne.’” Several months later, when I played my Dan Fogelberg CD while I was living in Montana, my roommate there asked, “Do you have ‘Run for the Roses’? That’s my favorite Dan Fogelberg song.” And even later, when I was in medical school, a friend was at my apartment, picked up my CD, and said, “Oh, I didn’t know Dan Fogelberg sang ‘Longer’! I love that song.” I think many Americans in their late 20s or older remember his voice on the radio in the 1980s and are surprised by how many songs are his.
Fogelberg lost a battle to prostate cancer at a young age. I am disappointed that I will never see him perform, but can thank him for the years of music that accompanied our summer morning trips to swim team practice and across the country on adventures.
