Michael Lang, one of the organizers of the famous Woodstock music festival in 1969, died of cancer at the age of 77, according to US media on Sunday.
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He died on Saturday of a
"rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at Sloan Kettering Hospital"
in New York City, according to a statement sent to CNN by family friend Michael Pagnotta.
The latter said on Twitter to be
"very sad"
at the death of this
"legendary icon of Woodstock"
.
From August 15 to 18, 1969, around half a million people had made the trip to what remains, half a century later, the most significant cultural event of hippie culture of the 60s and 70s.
Star musicians had performed, like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, in an atmosphere of freedom and camaraderie, illustrated by images of young people walking naked hand in hand, sharing grass or acid, and ignoring the torrential downpours that followed. spilled over this region of the Catskills, nearly 200 km northwest of New York.
Michael Lang was in his 20s at the time, as were then co-hosts John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, and Artie Kornfeld.
Fifty years later, in 2019, Michael Lang fought to organize a big anniversary concert, which ultimately had to be canceled after many twists and turns, and the withdrawal of the main financial partner.
Michael Lang leaves behind his wife and five children, the statement said.
