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Folk Guitarist and Pentangle Founder Bert Jansch, Dead at 67

Bert JanschBen Meadows, WireImage

Folk singer and Pentangle founding member Bert Jansch has succumbed to lung cancer after a long battle with the disease., WENN reports. He was 67.

Jansch was considered by many to be one of the great Scottish bards, with several critics calling him the British Bob Dylan. During the height of the folk movement in the 1960s, the singer and Pentangle toured extensively throughout Europe while influencing the guitar styles of Paul Simon, Jimmy Page and Nick Drake.

According to his representative Mick Houghton, the legendary guitarist passed away in the early morning hours of Wednesday (Oct. 5) at the Marie Curie Hospital in North London (via Washington Post).

Jansch had a history of medical problems. In 2005, he went under the knife for heart surgery and was later diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. He had been hospitalized for seven weeks at the time of his death. Jansch was forced to cancel several London performances earlier this year after his condition worsened.

The BBC Lifetime Achievement Award winner will be sorely missed throughout the folk community.

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Sev

RIP Bert Your Music was GREAT

October 06 2011 at 4:20 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
pmmgbob

I have adored Jansch's music, solo and with Pentangle and John Renbourn, for over 40 years. He was a guitarist's guitarist. Nobody with any pretensions to knowledge of folk/rock could fail to know who he was and recognise his sublime musical guft, and his huge comtributions.

October 05 2011 at 8:54 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Di

Beautiful music! Thank you Mr. Jansch. RIP. We'll miss you.

October 05 2011 at 7:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pjoceans91

once again for the 288th day in a row..what the ****..never heard of him lmao

October 05 2011 at 7:00 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to pjoceans91's comment
jdj

being proud of not knowing a bert jansch caliber musician is like being proud of not knowing how to read in the 60's. sure you can get by, but you'll be all the better for knowing how. So i suggest you calm down.

October 05 2011 at 7:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dafenderman87

God bless him and his family

October 05 2011 at 6:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
coreygene

what a man will be sorely missed by everyone who know the band pentangle.
sally free and easy is a wonderful song the best album they did was "basket full of light" get to know the pentangle you wont be sorry R.I.P. BROTHER.

October 05 2011 at 3:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to coreygene's comment
Diane

That's one of my favorites as well. Very evocative.

October 05 2011 at 7:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pennylaineaught6

Woe Is Love is a beautiful song. Very said to hear of Mr. Jansch's passing.

October 05 2011 at 3:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mcgowann

What a flash from the past. Those who never heard of him or Pentangle are either young or only listened to Top 10 commercial radio and are not familiar with those who revolutionized music during the artistic Renaissance of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

October 05 2011 at 3:36 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
docbobvet

He was a wonderful musician, his music was not my style, but none the less he was very influential to many many musicians.....Another talent lost

October 05 2011 at 3:27 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lklex

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of both men and women. Yet, where are all the ribbons, articles, campaigns and DOLLARS for raising awareness about and combating lung cancer, as there are for raising awareness about and combating breast cancer? Combating lung cancer, like combating colon cancer and prostate cancer, is not a politically correct, feminist-sanctioned health cause. Tragically, as a result, many thousands of Americans have died and many more will die.

October 05 2011 at 2:16 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to lklex's comment
Heather

You are so full of it. Leading cause of death is HEART disease. I really take offense that "feminist-sanctioned" health cause comment. My best friend of 20 years just died after fighting cancer for over a year, and she was 42, and left behind two 11 year old and one 6 year old boy. Think they care who rallies for a cure for cancer? NO, THEY JUST MISS THEIR MOM!

October 05 2011 at 3:10 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply