Dan Fogelberg, 1951-2007

Earlier today, singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg lost his fight to a particularly virulent form of prostate cancer. He was 56.

Dan brought us lots of thoughtful and tender musical and lyrical moments. Who can forget:

"Another Auld Lang Syne," a song about the passage of time and about how the intervening years affected the perspective of an ex who had fallen in and out of love with someone else;

"The Power Of Gold," a song full of observations about avarice and its all-too-frequent inevitability;

"Make Love Stay," which dealt with the under-discussed but frequent transitions between mad-about-you love and the settling of loving relationships into routines;

"Run For The Roses," a sympathetic look at the human and equine dramas of thorougbreds at the Kentucky Derby;

"Leader Of The Band," an admission of a son that in some ways, his musician and bandleader father was a role model that earned emulation not only because of love between son and Dad, but because of the path Dad chose and the accomplishments Dad earned in this life.

Dan Fogelberg, you left us way too soon. I, and I am sure many readers, will remember you fondly with the superb and gentle songs that play back to us on our CD players as well as in our heads.