The Band's Levon Helm dies at 71

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The Band's Levon Helm dies at 71

The Band's Levon Helm dies at 71

Levon Helm, singer and drummer for pioneering music group The Band, died Thursday, April 19, 2012 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer.

Folk singer Bob Dylan, center, performs with drummer Levon Helm, left, Rick Danko, second left, and Robbie Robertson of The Band at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Jan. 20, 1968. The concert was part of a benefit tribute to the late folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie.

In this Nov. 27, 1976 file photo, The Band, Richard Manuel on piano, Levon Helm on drums, lead guitarist Robbie Robertson, center, and bass guitarist Rick Danko, take the stage for their final live performance before a crowd of 5,000 at Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco. Helm lent his distinctive Southern voice to classics like "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

Helm was featured in the documentary "The Last Waltz," directed by Martin Scorcese. In this scene from the film, The Band are shown at the Winterland Theater in San Francisco, California in Nov. 6, 1976. Guitarist, Robbie Robertson; bassist, Rick Danko; drummer, Levon Helm along with singers Joni Mitchell and Neil Young perform.

Helm appeared in the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter" with Sissy Spacek in 1980. He also performed on the movie's soundtrack.

Ringo Starr, wearing dark glasses, posed with band members during a news conference at New York's Palladium to announce their U.S. tour, June 20, 1989. From left are Levon Helm, Clarence Clemons, Nils Lofgren, Billy Preston, Ringo, Joe Walsh and Rick Danko.

Helm appeared on the new "Imus in the Morning" program at New York's Town Hall, Monday Dec. 3, 2007.

Helm holds his 20-month-old grandson Lee Collins, who takes his turn on the drums when Helm's band performed on the "Imus in the Morning" program on the Fox Business channel, in New York Friday, Oct. 9, 2009.

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Levon Helm, singer and drummer for pioneering music group The Band, died Thursday, April 19, 2012 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer.

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