Colo. folk-rock great Fogelberg diagnosed with prostate cancer

Denver Post ^ | 20 August 2004 | Ricardo Baca

[A.A. Cunningham]

Colo. folk-rock great Fogelberg diagnosed with prostate cancer
By Ricardo Baca
Denver Post Pop Music Critic

Friday, August 20, 2004 -

Dan Fogelberg, one of Colorado's most prominent folk-rock residents, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to wire service reports.

Fogelberg recently canceled a 16-city acoustic tour on the East Coast, but the seriousness of his illness was in dispute Thursday. A message from the singer on his website said, "The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

That statement followed an earlier comment from his mother, Margaret Fogelberg, who told the Journal-Star in Peoria, Ill., where Fogelberg was born and raised: "We're all very hopeful, but we're also a bit leery."

Further details on Fogelberg's condition were unavailable. His management company refused to comment Thursday. Fogelberg's website offered a few sentences, including: "The quotes attributed to my elderly mother not only misrepresent the extent of my illness, but also the treatment involved."

Fogelberg turned 53 on Aug. 13. His heyday came between 1974's "Souvenirs" and 1981's "The Innocent Age," and he is responsible for an impressive string of hits including "Leader of the Band," "Longer" and "Same Old Lang Syne."

He's recorded much of his recent work in his home studio near Pagosa Springs, but in the early days he often recorded at Caribou Ranch, the famed destination studio near Nederland in Boulder County. The product from those sessions included 1977's "Nether Lands" - which made his reputation - 1980's "Phoenix" and 1981's double-disc masterwork "The Innocent Age."

"He's an incredibly sensitive, creative artist," said Jim Guercio, who owned Caribou Ranch and still works in Boulder. "Dan is very, very important because he's a songwriter first, and he always listens to his own drummer. Our prayers are with him, and we're hoping for nothing but the best."

After dropping out of the University of Illinois at Champaign, Fogelberg met Irving Azoff, then a rising regional music businessman. The two had plans to head to Los Angeles. Azoff left and gave Fogelberg $200 for the trip west.

But Fogelberg ran out of money in Estes Park, where he crashed for a week while waiting for Azoff to wire him cash. It was enough time to sell him on Colorado. Once he made it in the music business, he relocated here, eventually building a home outside Pagosa Springs, where he spends most of his time.

"Living far away from the madness of Los Angeles has allowed me to focus on what's real in life - so music is a joy, a legacy," he told The Denver Post in 2001.

Chuck Morris of Clear Channel Entertainment in Denver has known Fogelberg since 1974. "He's one of the greatest artists who has ever lived in this area," he said. "His contributions to Colorado music and this area are staggering. And I hope he gets well soon."

Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached atrbaca@denverpost.com or 303-820-1394.

[Use It Or Lose It]

This makes me sad. Fogelberg was one of my faves way back when. His album, "Twin Sons of Different Mothers" with Tim Weissberg was one of the best.

[A.A. Cunningham]

UPDATE:

August 13, 2005
A personal letter from D.F.

First, let me send everyone some very good news. In our first 14 months of treatment, we have succeeded in slowing the progression of my prostate cancer down to an almost negligible level. Jean and I are thrilled and incredibly relieved and finally feel like we can at last take a breath. While we understand that what we’re dealing with is a long term condition that will have to be dealt with, monitored and treated for probably the rest of my life, we are terribly encouraged to have come so far, so fast. It has certainly been the most trying experience of our lives and yet has proven to be one of the most illuminating as well.

I cannot adequately express my gratitude to all of the thousands of wonderful people who have sent us such incredibly moving and supportive e-mails via the Living Legacy web site. I am quite certain that the love and prayers that have been directed to us from all over the world have had a tangible and potent healing effect. It is truly overwhelming and humbling to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years. Each one of you who have taken the time and effort to reach out to Jean and I have helped immeasurably to uplift our spirits and keep us looking strongly forward during some very rough moments. I thank you from the very depths of my heart.

I currently have no plans to return to the concert stage or the recording studio in the foreseeable future, but who knows? At least for now, I prefer to keep my options open.

Again my deepest thanks and love to all,

Dan

http://www.danfogelberg.com/news.html