Daniel Grayling
Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American
musician, song writer, composer, & multi-instrumentalist. He is best
known for his 1980s hits, including "Longer" (1980), "Leader of the
Band" (1981), "Same Old Lang Syne" (1981) and of course, "Run For the
Roses" (1981).
Fogelberg was married three times; he had no children by any of his marriages. For 25 years he lived
in Maine, on Deer Isle, overlooking Eggemoggin Reach.
In May 2004, Fogelberg was diagnosed with advanced prostate
cancer. After undergoing therapy, his cancer went into partial remission. On August 13, 2005, his 54th birthday, Fogelberg
announced the success of his cancer treatment. However, his cancer returned, and on December 16, 2007, Fogelberg died
at the age of 56 at home. His ashes were scattered into the Atlantic Ocean.
Fogelberg's widow announced that a song
written and recorded by Fogelberg for her, for Valentine's Day 2005, "Sometimes a Song", would be sold on the Internet and
that all proceeds would go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The song was released on Valentine's Day 2008 and was also
included on a CD released in September 2009 titled Love in Time, a collection of 11 previously unpublished songs.
The Innocent Age, released in October 1981,
was Fogelberg's critical and commercial peak. The double album included four of his biggest hits: "Same Old Lang Syne", "Hard
to Say", "Leader of the Band", and "Run for the Roses". He drew inspiration for The Innocent Age from Thomas Wolfe's novel
Of Time and
the River. A 1982 greatest hits album contained two new songs,
both of which were released as singles: "Missing You" and "Make Love Stay." In 1984, he released the album Windows and Walls,
containing
the singles "The Language of Love" and "Believe in Me."
In
tribute to Fogelberg, Peoria renamed Abington Street to "Fogelberg Parkway". The street runs by Woodruff High School,
Fogelberg's alma mater, and where his father was a teacher & bandleader. Fogelberg Parkway continues to N. Prospect
and E. Frye, the location of the convenience store where Fogelberg ran into his old high school sweet heart one Christmas
Eve – as described in the song
"Same Old Lang Syne." Fogelberg
fans created a memorial garden in Riverfront Park in 2010.
A musical using the music of Fogelberg, entitled Part
of the Plan, opened September 8, 2017, at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville.
