CNN - John Denver killed in plane crash - Oct. 13, 1997 John Denver killed in plane crash October 13, 1997 Web posted at: 1:38 p.m. EDT (1738 GMT) SALINAS, California (CNN) -- Singer and songwriter John Denver, whose '70 hits such as "Rocky Mountain High" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" gained him worldwide fame, was killed Sunday when his small aircraft plunged into Monterey Bay, officials said Monday. He was 53. His remains were positively identified by the Monterey County Coroner's Office through fingerprints obtained from the state of Colorado, Monterey County Sheriff Norman Hicks said. The National Transportation Safety Board was pursuing details on the cause of the crash itself, while the sheriff's coroners will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the cause of death, he said. "We share a sense of shock and loss to our community, our nation and the world, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the many friends, the family, and the many admirers of John Denver," Hicks said at a Monday news conference.

Denver was piloting the two-seat light plane along the California coast when the engine failed shortly after 5 p.m., plunging him into ocean waters just past Monterey Bay. A L S O : John Denver's Most Popular singles His first taste of musical success was in 1969, when the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary recorded Denver's "Leavin' on a Jet Plane," which went on to become the Number 1 song in the country. Denver's voice first hit the charts in 1971, when "Take me Home, Country Roads" went to Number 2. "Country Roads" was Denver's first million-seller. A string of hits followed in the 1970s, including "Rocky Mountain High," "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Annie's Song," an ode to his wife. They separated in 1983 and later divorced. In 1977, Denver made his big-screen acting debut in "Oh, God," opposite George Burns. He made occasional acting appearances over the years, but was better known for his television specials. Denver appeared in several Christmas shows, including two with Jim Henson's Muppets.

In 1984 and '85, Denver was one of the first Western artists to tour the Soviet Union following a resumption of cultural exchanges with the United States. He was also one of the first Western artists to go on a multi-city tour of China, in 1992. Standup comics and newspaper cartoonists leapt on a 1988 "Aviation Week & Space Technology" report that Denver asked Soviet space officials to launch him to the Mir space station. The cash-strapped Soviets were reportedly considering the idea, with a price of $10 million. Denver's legal troubles have made headlines in recent years. Charged with driving under the influence in 1993, Denver pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of driving while impaired. He was again charged with DUI when his Porsche ran off the road in his Aspen, Colorado, neighborhood in 1994. The trial for that charge ended with a hung jury in July 1997. Denver's defense argued that the singer's thyroid condition made alcohol tests unreliable. In August 1997, "The Best of John Denver Live" reached Number 47 on the country album charts.

It was Denver's first chart appearance since 1988. Featured Articles about Airplane Accidents Northern California - Page 5 - latimes FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT AIRPLANE ACCIDENTS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - PAGE 5 NEWS California IN BRIEF : CONCORD : Two Killed in Plane Crash September 3, 1992 | From Times Staff and Wire Reports Two people died when their small plane crashed near California 4, clipping a car and forcing the closure of the road, authorities said. Witnesses reported that the twin-engine plane was circling at a low altitude about 2:45 p.m. before it hit a highway overpass and the car. The plane then crashed below the overpass and burst into flames. The identities of the pilot and the passenger were not immediately known, the California Highway Patrol said. Advertisement Plane Owned by John Denver Crashes; Pilot Dies October 13, 1997 | ALAN ABRAHAMSON, TIMES STAFF WRITER The pilot of a small plane owned by singer John Denver was killed Sunday afternoon when it crashed into Monterey Bay, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said, but the identity of the pilot was not yet known.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Aitkins said late Sunday that a lifeguard had recovered the pilot's body. Denver, 53, is a licensed pilot and has a vacation home in Monterey. "They cannot make an ID from the body," Aitkins said late Sunday. NEWS Plane Crash Near Lake Tahoe Kills 4 September 2, 2000 | Associated Press A small plane crashed after takeoff just south of Lake Tahoe near Myers on Friday, killing all four people on board. The single-engine Piper Malibu barely missed some houses and caught fire when it crashed within a mile of the end of the runway at the South Lake Tahoe Airport, the El Dorado County sheriff's office said. No names were released, but authorities said the victims were two males and two females who appeared to be from the area. The plane was taking off shortly after 3:30 p.m. NEWS California IN BRIEF : REDDING : Stunt Plane Crashes Into Crowd at Show June 23, 1991 | From Times Staff and Wire Reports A stunt plane crashed near a crowd of about 5,000 people watching an air show, killing the pilot and injuring at least six spectators, police said.

Those injured in the crowd were hit by debris when the T-34 single-engine military trainer crashed about 3 p.m., said Police Lt. Chuck Byard. It had been flying in a four-plane formation. The injured were taken to hospitals, Byard said. NEWS 3 Killed, 1 Injured in Plane Crash in Monterey County November 11, 1991 | Associated Press A light plane crashed in rugged terrain in a remote canyon Sunday, killing three of the four people aboard, authorities said. The surviving passenger sustained multiple injuries and was at Salinas Memorial Hospital, said nursing supervisor Ann Robinson. The survivor's condition was not available. Will Rullman, a contractor who witnessed the crash, said the pilot turned the craft in an apparent attempt to gain altitude, but the plane stalled and crashed into the side of a 2,200-foot hill.

CALIFORNIA | LOCAL Case Closed on Pair Missing in 1977 Air Crash September 8, 1996 | SCOTT STEEPLETON The case of a missing Thousand Oaks couple whose plane was found last month, 19 years after it went down in Northern California, was closed Saturday after officials in Humboldt County searching the site for a second time were unable to find any remains of the pilot, Norman Wascher, or his wife, Beverly. CALIFORNIA | LOCAL Marine Identified as Air Crash Victim : Accident: The Tustin pilot's mother says he and his fiancee were among the four who died when the small plane went down on takeoff from Truckee. September 7, 1994 | From staff and wire service reports One of four victims who died when a single-engine Cessna crashed on takeoff was identified Tuesday as Vincent M. Correal, a Marine pilot stationed at the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. Correal, originally from Carlisle, Pa., was identified by his mother, Paula Correal, who is Carlisle justice of the peace. She said one of the other three people who died in Monday's crash was Correal's fiancee.

The couple had planned to marry Dec. 31, she said. The identities of the other two are unknown. NEWS Experimental Craft Such as Denver's Not Subject to All FAA Rules October 14, 1997 | ERIC MALNIC and JOHN M. GLIONNA, TIMES STAFF WRITERS The sleek, fast, technologically advanced plane that carried John Denver to his death Sunday is classified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an "experimental aircraft." That's because, unlike the more familiar Cessnas and Pipers that line the runways at most general aviation airports, Denver's futuristic Long-EZ aircraft wasn't built in a factory. Denver's plane was home-built--assembled in a garage or a hangar by someone who purchased the plans and did most of the work himself. NEWS California IN BRIEF : JACKSON : Victims of Plane Crash Identified July 2, 1991 | From Times Staff and Wire Reports The victims of a private plane crash were identified by authorities as two couples from Modesto and an Army sergeant major and his wife from San Francisco.

The twin-engine aircraft, on a pleasure trip to Lake Tahoe, crashed into a mountainside in the El Dorado National Forest in the Sierra Nevada after taking off from Modesto Airport, authorities said. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department identified the victims as Sgt. Maj. NEWS Pilot Parachutes From Disabled Plane June 10, 1991 | Times Staff and Wire Reports A pilot who bailed out of his disabled airplane en route to Northern California from Santa Monica spent a night in the wilderness, then walked about 12 miles to a ranch near Hollister, where he called his family Sunday afternoon, authorities said. John Castellucci, 48, of Malibu, suffered slight back and leg injuries in the parachute landing, but was in satisfactory condition when he arrived home Sunday evening, said his wife, Linda. JOHN DENVER KILLED IN PLANE HE WAS PILOTING - The Washington Post JOHN DENVER KILLED IN PLANE HE WAS PILOTING The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published.

You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set! By Bart Barnes By Bart Barnes October 14, 1997 John Denver, 53, the songwriter and singer of country, folk and popular music whose lyrical ballads touched hundreds of millions throughout the world, died Sunday when the single-engine light aircraft he was flying crashed into Monterey Bay in California. Denver, a licensed pilot who had a home near Monterey, was killed instantly when his fiberglass, back-propellered, Y-shaped plane crashed about 100 yards offshore at 5:27 p.m. Pacific time, shortly after having taken off at Monterey Airport. The two-seat airplane was about 500 feet in the air "when it just sort of dropped unexpectedly into the ocean. When it hit the water, it broke into numerous parts," Pacific Grove police Lt. Carl Miller told the Associated Press. Lifeguards later recovered the body in shallow water, but the injuries were too extensive for immediate identification. Fingerprints were flown in from Denver's primary residence in Colorado, and a positive identification was made yesterday. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigators were looking for causes of the crash.

During the 1970s, Denver was one of the most popular musicians on earth. He sang of fresh air, love, mountains, peace and happiness, and he was known for such hits as "Rocky Mountain High," "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders." He performed in the world's leading concert halls and sports arenas and in the remotest African villages. His partners on the stage and in the recording studio ranged from Kermit the Frog and the Muppets to opera tenor Placido Domingo and classical violinist Itzhak Perlman. During his career, he sold more than 100 million record albums. As a composer, Denver wrote more than 200 songs. One of his first, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," soared to national popularity in 1969 on a recording by Peter, Paul and Mary. It remained on the popularity charts for four months. For a period, it was the theme song of United Airlines.

As an actor, Denver had a top supporting role opposite George Burns in the 1977 movie "Oh, God!" He also appeared in a television movie, "Foxfire," with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. He had a wholesome, clean-cut, country image, which he supported and encouraged with a blond Dutch boy haircut, granny glasses, an engaging smile and faded bluejeans that always looked fresh from the cleaners. It was said that young girls loved him because he was cute and cuddly and that their fathers loved him because they thought they could trust him with their daughters. In Baltimore, his music was a fixture at Orioles baseball games as thousands of fans rose for a hand-clapping, foot-stomping seventh-inning stretch to his recording "Thank God, I'm a Country Boy." In the 1983 American League championship series with the Chicago White Sox, Denver himself was a surprise guest at the game in Baltimore, climbing on top of the Orioles dugout to sing. About five years ago, the Orioles tried to substitute another song for the ritual, but Denver's music was reinstated after anguished protests from fans. Most recently, on Sept. 20, Denver was again in Baltimore for an Orioles game.

In the seventh inning, he climbed onto the Orioles dugout, danced with the Oriole bird and sang "Thank God, I'm a Country Boy." The White House issued a statement yesterday, quoting President Clinton on Denver's death. Clinton, who is on a visit to South America, remembered the entertainer as a man whose "soaring music" touched millions and advanced understanding throughout the world. In addition to his work as an entertainer, Denver was a champion and promoter of causes ranging from environmental protection and conservation of wildlife to ending starvation and malnutrition. With Werner Erhard, the creator of est, he founded the Hunger Project, whose goal was to end hunger by 2000. He sailed the seas with marine explorer Jacques Cousteau on the explorer's boat, Calypso. While aboard, he wrote the refrain of the popular song "Calypso." He contributed the proceeds from the song to the Cousteau Society. Since the mid-1980s, Denver's star had dimmed. His music had slipped from the popularity charts, and his pristine image had become tarnished. Two marriages collapsed, and he was arrested twice on drunken driving charges. He admitted to using marijuana and cheating on his first wife.

His second wife called him a control freak. Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. in Roswell, N.M., he was the son of an Air Force officer. He grew up in Arizona, Alabama, Ohio, Japan and Texas, where his father was transferred on military assignments. He studied architecture at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he played guitar in a rhythm and blues band to help defray expenses. Eventually he found himself spending so much time with his music that his grades fell, and he dropped out of college. He moved to Los Angeles and took a day job as a draftsman while singing at lounges and clubs at night. At the suggestion of a record producer, he changed his surname to Denver, because of its association with mountains and the outdoors, about which he liked to sing. In 1965, he went to New York, where he beat out 250 other candidates who were auditioning for the lead singer's spot in the Chad Mitchell Trio. The traveling lifestyle and living out of a suitcase that went with that job inspired Denver to write "Leaving on a Jet Plane," the song that made him known in the musical community.

Its 1969 recording by Peter, Paul and Mary came at a peak period of the Vietnam War, and the song became an anthem of the time for many Vietnam veterans, although that was not what Denver had in mind when he wrote it. In 1971, with Bill and Taffy Danoff, he wrote "Take Me Home, Country Roads," which sold a million single recordings and became an unofficial state song for West Virginia, although several of its geographical references are inaccurate. For example, the Blue Ridge Mountains are entirely in Virginia. Nevertheless, Denver sang it on the steps of the West Virginia state capitol in Charleston. Its popularity endured. In Britain this spring, "Country Roads" topped a poll of favorite sing-alongs for British motorists. In 1972 came "Rocky Mountain High," a highly autobiographical song with a reference to coming home to a place he'd never been before and birth in the summer of his 27th year. That song also sold a million single recordings and became Denver's signature song. He opened concerts with "Rocky Mountain High," against a background of images of lakes, waterfalls, mountains and clear blue skies.

Approaching the zenith of his popularity in the mid-1970s, Denver had a broad-based appeal to music lovers of various ages, ethnicities and nationalities, but many professional critics were unenthusiastic about him. In 1975, he drew 65,000 in a single four-performance weekend at Capital Centre in Prince George's County. Reviewing the performances in The Washington Post, popular music critic Larry Rohter called Denver a "cheerful chipmunk of a man who apparently sees only the sunny side of life . . . a fair guitarist, an earnest but mediocre singer, an insufferably cloying lyricist." Publication of the review provoked dozens of letters of protest from angry readers. "You have done a horrible thing to John Denver," one woman wrote. "You, your paper, and your disgusting employee, Larry Rohter, belong in jail. . . . You should be shot." That was the year the Country Music Association chose Denver for its Entertainer of the Year Award. The American Guild of Variety Artists gave him its Singing Star of the Year Award.

In 1981, Denver and operatic tenor Domingo collaborated on a pop album, "Perhaps Love," singing a duet in the title song, which at the time was Denver's latest composition. Domingo also sang "Annie's Song," which Denver wrote to honor his first wife. The guitar accompaniment for Domingo in that song was Denver's. He also toured Russia, China and other parts of the world, and he appeared in television specials, including "John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together" and "Rocky Mountain High." His LP "John Denver's Greatest Hits" remains one of the largest-selling albums in RCA history, with total sales of more than 10 million. "Goodbye Again," "Starwood in Aspen," "Mother Nature's Son," "Back Home Again" and "Shanghi Breezes" are among his other memorable songs. Since the early 1970s, Denver had lived in a mountaintop home in Aspen, Colo. His 17-year marriage to Ann Martell, a student he had met during a singing tour of Minnesota colleges, ended in divorce.

Later he married Cassandra Delaney, an Australian woman 20 years younger than he. They also divorced. Survivors include two children from his first marriage, Zachary and AnnaKate, and a daughter from his second marriage, Jesse Belle. CAPTION: JOHN DENVER CAPTION: Emergency services personnel carry debris that they gathered off the beach near where the plane piloted by John Denver crashed into the ocean Sunday. Denver was killed in the crash.(Photo ran in an earlier edition) CAPTION: John Denver performs in Hanoi. During the 1970s, Denver was one of the most popular musicians in the world, known for popular songs such as "Rocky Mountain High," "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders." (Photo ran in an earlier edition) politics Plane Owned by John Denver Crashes; Pilot Dies - latimes Plane Owned by John Denver Crashes; Pilot Dies October 13, 1997 |ALAN ABRAHAMSON and LOUIS SAHAGUN | TIMES STAFF WRITERS The pilot of a small plane owned by singer John Denver was killed Sunday afternoon when it crashed into Monterey Bay, a U.S.

Coast Guard spokesman said, but the identity of the pilot was not yet known. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Aitkins said late Sunday that a lifeguard had recovered the pilot's body. Denver, 53, is a licensed pilot and has a vacation home in Monterey. "They cannot make an ID from the body," Aitkins said late Sunday. Walter Gerash, the singer's Boulder, Colo.-based lawyer, told The Times early today: "It doesn't look good." "I heard from the sheriff's office that [Denver] was seen at the airport today," Gerash said. The National Transportation Safety Board late Sunday dispatched an investigator to Monterey. Aitkins said the ground crew at the Monterey Airport confirmed that Denver owns the plane, a single-engine one-seater. It crashed into the bay near the town of Pacific Grove about 5:40 p.m. Sunday. It took off from Monterey Airport at 5:27 p.m. Its destination was unknown. The plane, made of fiberglass with a single engine and two seats, was considered an "experimental" aircraft, and was possibly home-built, Pacific Grove Police Lt. Carl Miller told Associated Press. Miller said several people on a nearby beach witnessed the crash.

The plane was flying about 500 feet in the air "when it just sort of dropped unexpectedly into the ocean," Miller said. "When it hit the water, it broke into numerous parts." One witness told San Francisco Bay Area television station KTVU that she saw a puff and heard a "popping" sound before the crash. Carolyn Pearl said the plane "kind of went up a little bit and absolutely straight down, not spiraling, just absolutely straight down. . . . I thought it was doing some kind of acrobatic move, or something, and then realized it wasn't." Denver's wholesome image and folk-tinged melodies made him a huge star in the 1970s. Among his hits: "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "Rocky Mountain High," "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Annie's Song." His music has earned a total of nearly two dozen gold and platinum albums. As the 1970s drew to a close and Denver's career began to lose momentum, he became both an ardent environmentalist, founding the nonprofit Windstar Foundation, and unabashed enthusiast for the U.S. space program.

In 1993, he became the first nonclassical musician to receive the Albert Schweitzer award for a "life devoted to music and humanity." Recent months, meantime, have seen hints of a Denver revival. A beer commercial showed patrons of a bar joining together for a chorus of "Rocky Mountain High," and a greatest-hits album has been climbing the country-western charts. MORE: John Denver - Biography - IMDb John Denver Biography Showing all 28 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (19) | Personal Quotes (1) Overview (4) 5' 10" (1.78 m) Mini Bio (1) His birth occurred on Friday, December 31st, 1943, as the son of an Air Force officer, Denver was constantly moved from state to state and country to country. It was in Tucson, Arizona, that his grandmother gave him his first acoustic guitar, a gift that would prove an icebreaker when meeting other students at the many new schools in which he was placed.

After settling with his family in Fort Worth, Texas, Denver ran away to California for a short time. He returned to Texas and graduated from high school, but soon returned to California on a more permanent basis. He began performing at Leadbetter's night club in West Los Angeles but had a major career breakthrough when he was selected to replace the departing Chad Mitchell of The Chad Mitchell Trio . He remained with that organization until 1968 when he struck out on his own. From 1969 through 1975, Denver was the top-selling recording artist, appearing on both country and pop charts alike. His peak year was 1975, during which he was awarded the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in addition to being selected as the American Guild of Variety Artists' Singing Star of the Year. During this period, he tried his hand at acting, appearing as Deputy Dewey Cobb in a 1973 episode of McCloud (1970) and hosting Day of the Bighorn (1974), an ecologically-minded television special. His most memorable role came in 1977 when he starred opposite George Burns in the hit comedy, Oh, God!

(1977). Following this, his record sales began to decline, and he made fewer movies and television specials. He became something of a political activist, with his main focus being on environmental issues. He was killed on Sunday, October 12th, 1997, (505 years after Christopher Columbus' discovery of North America) when the plane he was piloting crashed into Monterey Bay. John Denver's lifetime: 19,616 days (2,802 weeks & 2 days). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous Spouse (2) ( 9 June 1967 - 1983) (divorced) (2 children) Trade Mark (1) Wore wire framed glasses Trivia (19) Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1977" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 29 (1977). Children from marriage with Annie Martell ; Zachary and Anna Kate (adopted). Children from marriage with Cassandra Delaney ; Jesse Belle. Uncle of the twin babies who played "Oscar" in the film Ghostbusters II (1989), William T.

Deutschendorf and Henry J. Deutschendorf II . One would assume Henry was named after him. Though John Denver's father was also named Henry John Deutschendorf and John Denver's paternal-grandfather was John Henry Deutschendorf. He was any early follower of Werner Erhard , founder of the self-improvement association known as EST (Erhard Seminars Training). Denver once asked Erhard if he might become a trainer in the EST organization but was told he could contribute more by continuing his career as an entertainer - spreading the message, through his music, of taking personal responsibility for whatever happens in the world. Several of his subsequent songs reflected that philosophy. Was cremated, and his ashes spread over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Biography in: "American National Biography." Supplement 1, pp. 155-156. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Lost two toes in an accident with a lawn mower. Briefly attended the School of Architecture at Texas Tech. Mentioned in the song "Life Is a Rock But the Radio Rolled Me" by Reunion. Met wife Annie Martell while performing a gig at Gustavus Adolphus College, in St.

Peter, Minnesota, where she was a student. His final concert was in Corpus Christi, Texas, a week prior to his tragic accident. Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1996. Plane crash was about 100 yards offshore from a very popular landmark known as "Lover's Point". The Federal Aviation Administration's crash report was inconclusive regarding what caused Denver's crash. It is widely known that Denver had twice been arrested for DUI in prior years, leading to questions as to whether his pilot's license should have been revoked. NTSB accident report states the cause of the airplane crash that killed him was his attention being diverted to the fuel selector, when shortly after takeoff, his engine stalled due to fuel starvation. The fuel selector, in his newly purchased homebuilt, was located behind the pilot such that to change it he needed to turn left and reach behind his head. That caused him to move the control stick inadvertently to the left and down. That was a factor that led to the accident. John's father was of German descent (including ancestry from ethnic Germans who had lived in South Russia for many generations).

John's maternal grandfather was of German and Swiss-German ancestry, and John's maternal grandmother was of English and Irish descent. Was offered the lead role of Zack Mayo in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), which he turned down saying he felt the script "read like a 1950s movie". The role was instead given to Richard Gere . He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on October 24, 2014. Personal Quotes (1) [on composing for The Bears and I (1974)] Heck, I'm no Henry Mancini or Michel Legrand . I just play the guitar and write songs. I know I'm incapable of orchestrating an entire film. They just asked me to write something expressing the story about a guy who's back from Vietnam and sorta lost, who goes to an Indian village in the Northwest. See also CNN - John Denver lauded as 'folk poet of our time' - Oct.

17, 1997 John Denver lauded as 'folk poet of our time' Memorial service held Friday for late singer October 17, 1997 Web posted at: 6:58 p.m. EDT (2258 GMT) AURORA, Colorado (CNN) -- Singer John Denver was lauded as the "folk poet of our time" Friday at a memorial service filled with his music and reminiscences about his life as an entertainer, environmentalist and humanitarian. About 2,000 people crowded into the Faith Presbyterian Church in the Denver suburb of Aurora to say goodbye to Denver. Several hundred people who could not get inside gathered outdoors, under the brilliant Colorado sky so often celebrated in his songs. Denver sings of own death "His music sprang from his feelings of love and the world we live in," said family friend Hal Thau, Denver's longtime manager. "Most importantly, his songs resonated with the people." Denver, 53, was killed when the plane he was piloting crashed into California's Monterey Bay on Sunday. Two of his longtime friends from the San Francisco area, Diane and Jerry Jampolski, brought his ashes back to Colorado.

Another memorial service was scheduled for Saturday in Aspen, high in the Colorado Rockies. Denver had made his home there for the past three decades, fostering a romantic attachment between his fans and the rugged mountain lifestyle with songs such as "Rocky Mountain High." Hours before Friday's service began, mourners began lining up outside the church, where Denver's mother worships, to get a seat. Denver's songs were played over loudspeakers, and many sang along, fighting back tears. "John has been a big, big part of my family," said Kathy Malowney, who came from San Diego with her daughter for the funeral. "My daughter has grown up with him since she was 6 months old, and he has been on all our road trips with us." At the front of the church, a large portrait of the singer was unveiled just before the service began.

Many in the audience wept when the first song, "On the Wings of a Dream," was played, a tune whose first line is, "Yesterday, I had a dream about dying." At one time Denver was at the top of the charts -- he was named Country Music Entertainer of the Year in 1975 -- but in later years his music and downhome style seemed out of date. Ron Deutschendorf , Denver's brother, played a message John had left on his answering machine a week ago: "This is God calling. Just want to -- wanted to -- see how you were doing," Denver was heard to say, unable to restrain his laughter. In recent times his brother "was very excited, very happy. He'd had a couple of rough years but things were starting to come around," Deutschendorf said. Two drunken-driving arrests and his second divorce had been a sort of epiphany, friends have said. Among those on hand for Friday's service were Denver's mother Erma, two ex-wives, Annie Martell and Cassandra Delaney, and his three children, Zachary, Anna Kate and Jesse Belle. Denver -- born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. -- took his stage name from the city of Denver.

His career took off in the 1970s when he began singing about the beauty of the Rockies, and eight of his albums sold more than 2 million copies each. Among his best-loved songs were "Rocky Mountain High" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads." "John Denver's Greatest Hits" from 1973 is still one of the biggest-selling albums in the history of RCA Records, with worldwide sales of more than 10 million copies. Reuters contributed to this report. John Denver - Environmental Activist, Guitarist, Songwriter, Singer - Biography.com “My purpose in performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living.” John Denver Synopsis John Denver was born on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico. After dropping out of college, he traveled to New York City and began his music career. Peter, Paul and Mary recorded his "Leaving on a Jet Plane" in 1967 and his, "Rocky Mountain High," became an official song of the state of Colorado. Denver was an activist for environmental causes and founded the World Hunger Project. A longtime aviator, he died in a plane crash in 1997.

Early Career Singer-songwriter John Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico, to parents Henry John and Erma. As a teenager, Denver received his first guitar, a 1910 Gibson acoustic, as a gift from his grandmother. He attended Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) from 1961-64, but dropped out before completing his studies. In 1965, after traveling to New York City and successfully auditioning for the Chad Mitchell Trio, he began performing with the group until 1968. Meanwhile, the folk-pop group Peter, Paul and Mary recorded a song he'd written, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," and its success gave Denver a higher profile in the music industry. Record executives had already convinced him to change his last name to Denver—partly in honor of the city and surrounding Rocky Mountains that he treasured, and partly due to his clean-living image.

He signed with Mercury RCA Records in 1969 and released his first single, "Rhymes and Reasons." In the next two years, he released four moderately successful albums, including Take Me to Tomorrow (1970) and Aerie (1971). Commercial Success With his wholesome good looks and down-to-earth appeal, Denver was considered the golden boy of folk music. Soon he was playing to sold-out crowds in stadiums across the country. The most successful albums of his career were Poems, Prayers, and Promises (1971)—which featured the hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads"—Rocky Mountain High (1972) and Back Home Again (1974)—which featured the tracks "Annie's Song" and "Thank God I'm A Country Boy." In 1977, Denver made his film debut in Oh, God!, costarring George Burns. Even though the film was a minor box-office hit, Denver's acting career was thereafter limited to television until 1997, when he starred in Craig Clyde's outdoor adventure film Walking Thunder.

John Denver and the Muppets (1980), The Christmas Gift (1986) and Higher Ground (1988) are among the numerous television specials in which he either hosted or starred. Activism As a renowned environmentalist and humanitarian, Denver's membership in many organizations included the National Space Institute, the Cousteau Society, Friends of the Earth, Save the Children Foundation, and the European Space Agency. In 1976, he cofounded the Windstar Foundation, a non-profit wildlife preservation agency. In addition to founding the World Hunger Project in 1977, he was personally appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the commission on World and Domestic Hunger. He became a chair member of the National UNICEF Day in 1984. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan presented Denver with the Presidential World Without Hunger Award. That same year, he won an additional six awards for Rocky Mountain Reunion, his documentary about endangered species. In 1993, he won the Albert Schweitzer Music Award for humanitarian efforts.

Awards and Death Among numerous awards and recognition for his musical achievements, he received the Top Male Recording Artist Award from Record World magazine for 1974-75. Also in 1975, he was named the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year. In 1967, Denver married Anne Marie Martell, a psychotherapist. Together they adopted two children, Zachary and Anna Kate, before their divorce in 1983. Denver was married to Cassandra Delaney from 1988 to 1991. Together they had one child, Jesse Bell. A longtime aviator, Denver died on October 12, 1997, when the plane that he was piloting went down over Monterey Bay, California, killing him instantly. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

Citation Information John Denver Page in Fuller Up, Dead Musician Directory John Denver killed in plane crash October 13, 1997 SALINAS, California (CNN) -- Singer and songwriter John Denver, whose '70 hits such as "Rocky Mountain High" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" gained him worldwide fame, was killed Sunday when his small aircraft plunged into Monterey Bay, officials said Monday. He was 53. His remains were positively identified by the Monterey County Coroner's Office through fingerprints obtained from the state of Colorado, Monterey County Sheriff Norman Hicks said. The National Transportation Safety Board was pursuing details on the cause of the crash itself, while the sheriff's coroners will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the cause of death, he said. "We share a sense of shock and loss to our community, our nation and the world, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the many friends, the family, and the many admirers of John Denver," Hicks said at a Monday news conference. Denver was piloting the two-seat light plane along the California coast when the engine failed shortly after 5 p.m., plunging him into ocean waters just past Monterey Bay.

He was believed to be the sole person on board the single-engine fiberglass plane, which he owned. It was considered an experimental aircraft, said Pacific Grove police Lt. Carl Miller. It took officials several hours to positively identify Denver's remains. Denver owned a home on Monterey Peninsula, a coastal area south of San Francisco, and visited the area often, Hicks said. Lt. Dave Allard, spokesman for the Monterey County sheriff's department, said an autopsy would be conducted Monday. Toxicology tests, standard for fatal crashes, also will be conducted, he said. Teri Martell, whose sister Annie was the singer's first wife, had told CNN early Monday that Denver "was a very experienced pilot." Martell said Annie was told he was practicing taking off and landing when the accident occurred. Denver was in a previous plane accident in April 1989. He walked away uninjured after the 1931 biplane he was piloting spun around while taxiing at an airport in northern Arizona. In 1995, a flight instructor sued Denver for a runway run-in at Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming.

The instructor alleged the singer was piloting his Christen Eagle in 1994 when the airplane taxied into the flight instructor's Cessna. Denver's career Denver had 14 gold and eight platinum albums in the United States, and was popular around the world. According to Sony Records, Denver's current label, he is one of the five top-selling artists in the history of the music industry. In addition to music and television awards, Denver also received recognition from several environmental groups for his advocacy of his beloved Rocky Mountains. Then-Colorado Gov. John Vanderhoof named Denver the state's Poet Laureate in 1974. Denver lived in Aspen since the early 1970s. Born Henry John Deutschendorf, Denver traveled throughout his childhood. After studying architecture at Texas Tech, he went west in 1965 to pursue a career in folk music. His first taste of musical success was in 1969, when the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary recorded Denver's "Leavin' on a Jet Plane," which went on to become the Number 1 song in the country.

Denver's voice first hit the charts in 1971, when "Take me Home, Country Roads" went to Number 2. "Country Roads" was Denver's first million-seller. A string of hits followed in the 1970s, including "Rocky Mountain High," "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Annie's Song," an ode to his wife. They separated in 1983 and later divorced. In 1977, Denver made his big-screen acting debut in "Oh, God," opposite George Burns. He made occasional acting appearances over the years, but was better known for his television specials. Denver appeared in several Christmas shows, including two with Jim Henson's Muppets. In 1984 and '85, Denver was one of the first Western artists to tour the Soviet Union following a resumption of cultural exchanges with the United States. He was also one of the first Western artists to go on a multi-city tour of China, in 1992.

Standup comics and newspaper cartoonists leapt on a 1988 "Aviation Week & Space Technology" report that Denver asked Soviet space officials to launch him to the Mir space station. The cash-strapped Soviets were reportedly considering the idea, with a price of $10 million. Denver's legal troubles have made headlines in recent years. Charged with driving under the influence in 1993, Denver pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of driving while impaired. He was again charged with DUI when his Porsche ran off the road in his Aspen, Colorado, neighborhood in 1994. The trial for that charge ended with a hung jury in July 1997. Denver's defense argued that the singer's thyroid condition made alcohol tests unreliable. In August 1997, "The Best of John Denver Live" reached Number 47 on the country album charts. It was Denver's first chart appearance since 1988.

John Denver crash report points to fuel problems Web posted on: Tuesday, June 23, 1998 MONTEREY, California (CNN) -- The plane crash that killed singer-songwriter John Denver could have been caused by several factors related to the amount of fuel in the plane when it went down in the Pacific Ocean during a practice flight off the California coast, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board released Monday. While drawing no firm conclusions, the NTSB report stated that Denver's homemade Long E-Z plane was almost certainly low on fuel when -- according to witnesses -- it sputtered, nosedived and crashed 150 yards from shore. The report also said that the plane's fuel selector handle -- which switches the fuel flow to a backup tank -- was in a hard-to-reach location, making it difficult for the pilot to reach it and make a switch if the primary tank ran dry. Denver, known for such popular 1970s hits as "Rocky Mountain High," "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and "Sunshine On My Shoulders," died in the October 12 crash.

A five-member NTSB board will study the report to determine a probable cause for the accident. Low on fuel The report says fueling records show that the plane was most likely low on fuel when Denver took off from the Monterey Peninsula Airport in the late afternoon to practice takeoffs and landings. Denver bought the plane the day before the crash. After he bought the plane, but prior to the crash, the plane had been flown 100 miles from Santa Maria to Monterey, and then flown on the day of the crash. Investigators said that activity would have used 12 to 17 gallons of gas, but the last known quantity on board was 15 gallons before the test flight. There was no record of Denver refueling the plane. Furthermore, it would have been difficult for Denver to tell if he was out of gas because the fuel gauges in the Long E-Z are visible only from the seat behind the pilot's. A mechanic at the Monterey airport did give Denver a mirror so he could try to see the gauges from the pilot's seat. The mirror was recovered in the wreckage. Flaw in design?

But even if Denver had known that his fuel levels were running low in one tank, it would have been awkward for him to switch to the other tank. Plans for the Long E-Z call for the fuel selector handle to be located between the pilot's legs. But in this case, the plane's builder, Adrian Davis Jr., had installed the tank switch behind the pilot's left shoulder because, he said, he did not want fuel in the cockpit. As constructed, Denver, an experienced pilot, would have had to remove his safety belts, take his right hand off the control stick and turn in his seat in order to switch from one fuel tank to another. That maneuver, as tested by NTSB officials, takes six to eight seconds. "Two pilots shared experiences of having inadvertently run a fuel tank dry with near catastrophic consequences because of the selector and (fuel) gauge locations," the report said. No medical certificate On the day of the crash, Denver and a maintenance technician talked about the inaccessibility of the handle. They tried to install a pair of vice grips to make the handle longer and easier to reach, but the effort failed.

The report also confirmed that Denver lacked an aviation medical certificate -- a requirement for a valid pilot's license -- at the time of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration had disqualified Denver for the certificate in March 1997, after learning that he had violated a previous FAA order to abstain from drinking. An autopsy showed no signs of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. John Denver - Annie's Song (HQ) + lyrics - YouTube John Denver - Annie's Song (HQ) + lyrics Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 2, 2015 Our Very Old Video from 2009-01-06 Because Denver's (1943-12-31 - 1997-10-12) father was in the military, the family moved often, making it difficult for Denver to make friends and fit in with people of his own age.

Constantly being the new kid was agony for the introverted child, and he grew up always feeling as if he should be somewhere else, but never knowing where that "right" place was. While living in Tucson, Arizona. On October 12, 1997, Denver was killed at the age of 53 when his experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane, aircraft crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California, while making a series of touch-and-go landings at the nearby Monterey Peninsula Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Denver was the only occupant of the aircraft. His fingerprints were used to confirm that the fallen pilot was indeed the singer John Denver - Annie's Song You fill up my senses like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean. You fill up my senses, come fill me again. Come let me love you, let me give my life to you, let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms, let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you. Come let me love you, come love me again.

You fill up my senses like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean. You fill up my senses, come fill me again. Category

Question: Who was killed when his private plane crashed in Monterey Bay, California in 1997?
Answer: John Denver