New York : One of the co-creators of the legendary Woodstock Music and ArtFair, Michael Lang, died at the age of 77 dueto complications from non-Hodgkin’slymphoma at Sloan Kettering hospital in NewYork City.
A Brooklyn native, Lang dropped out of NewYork University before heading to the Miamiarea to organize music events, including the1968 Miami Pop Festival, which featured Jimi Hendrix, the Hollywood Reporter said.
Lang later moved to Woodstock, N.Y., where he worked with Artie Kornfeld and partners JoelRosenman and John Roberts to plan the famous festival, which took place from August 15-18,1969, on Max Yasgur’s farm near Bethel, N.Y.
The event marked by mass attendance of over 400,00 people and continuing for 3 days becamea signature moment for the counterculture movement and showcased performances by 32artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, the Who, Carlos Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Ravi Shankar, Joe Cockerand Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The event was held in open air, in spite of continuous rain.
“Woodstock offered an environment for people to express their better selves, if you will,” Langtold Pollstar in 2019. “It was probably the most peaceful event of its kind in history. That was because of expectations and what people wanted to create there. The event has become immortalized and the term, “Generation Woodstock” has become part of the lexicon with an enduring legacy.
Lang, who was portrayed by Jonathan Groff in Ang Lee’s 2009 film “Taking Woodstock”, also produced follow-up events Woodstock ’94 and Woodstock ’99. He helped plan Woodstock 50,which was set to take place in August 2019 until the concert was ultimately cancelled.
He is survived by wife Tamara and his five children, Shala, Lariann, Molly, Harry and Laszlo.
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