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Richie Havens, folk singer who opened Woodstock, has died

Paul DeMaria
/
New York Daily News via Getty Images

Folk and rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Richie Havens reportedly passed away Monday at the age of 72.

Havens was perhaps best known for his three-hour opening set at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.

Over the course of his career, Havens recorded 21 studio albums and toured for nearly 45 years, until last year when he was sidelined with complications from kidney surgery.

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Kevin Kniestedt is a journalist, host and producer who began his career at KNKX in 2003. Over his 17 years with the station, he worked as a full time jazz host, a news host and produced the weekly show Sound Effect. Kevin has conducted or produced hundreds of interviews, has won local and national awards for newscasts and commentary.