This might be a tad morbid, but that’s the way it goes sometimes…

A friend recently sent me an email containing a link to a news story about the death of a 1960s musician. Well, he was probably a musician later in life as well, but was most famous during the ‘60s.

I cranked off a reply that was something along these lines: “Huh. Wonder how many of the original Woodstock performers are dead now? Forty percent?”

Turns out the musician in the article hadn’t even performed at the festival. I was mistaken, but still curious about the Woodstock Death Count. I did some Google searches, and came up with nothing. Nobody, it seemed, was keeping a running tally.

And so, once again, it’s been left to me to crunch the numbers. First it was Deadwood, and now Woodstock. It’s a heavy burden I carry, my friends.

Here are the results of my exhaustive research:

DAY ONE Friday, August 15, 1969

Richie Havens: alive

Swami Satchidananda: dead

Sweetwater: 4 alive, 3 dead

Nancy Nevins: alive

Alex Del Zoppo: alive

Fred Herrera: alive

August Burns: dead

Alan Malarowitz: dead

Elpidio “Pete” Cobian: alive

Albert Moore: dead

Incredible String Band: 4 alive

Mike Heron: alive

Robin Williamson: alive

Christina “Licorice” McKechnie: alive

Rose Simpson: alive

Bert Sommer: dead

Tim Hardin: dead

Ravi Shankar: alive

Melanie: alive

Arlo Guthrie: alive

Joan Baez: alive

19 performers: 13 alive, 6 dead

Death percentage (Day 1): 32%

The first day has taken the biggest hit, percentage-wise. There were only nineteen performers, since the festival didn’t start until Friday evening, but almost a third of them have passed through the big beaded curtain in the sky. Sweetwater alone has three deceased members, and are tied with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band for the most by any band at Woodstock.



DAY TWO Saturday, August 16, 1969

Quill: 5 alive

Jon Cole: alive

Dan Cole: alive

Roger North: alive

Normman Rogers: alive

Phil Thayer: alive

Keef Hartley Band: 4 alive, 1 dead

Keef Hartley: alive

Miller Anderson: alive

Jimmy Jewell: alive

Henry Lowther: alive

Gary Thain: dead

Country Joe McDonald: alive

John Sebastian: alive

Santana: 5 alive, 1 dead

Carlos Santana: alive

Gregg Rolie: alive

Jose “Chepito” Areas: alive

Mike Carabello: alive

Michael Shrieve: alive

David Brown: dead

Canned Heat: 3 alive, 2 dead

Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson: dead

Bob “The Bear” Hite: dead

Harvey “The Snake” Mandel: alive

Larry “The Mole” Taylor: alive

Adolpho “Fito” de la Parra: alive

Mountain: 3 alive, 1 dead

Leslie West: alive

Felix Pappalardi: dead

Norman D. Smart II: alive

Steve Knight: alive

Janis Joplin: dead

Grateful Dead: 5 alive, 2 dead

Jerry Garcia: dead

Bob Weir: alive

Bill Kreutzmann: alive

Mickey Hart: alive

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: dead

Tom Constanten: alive

Phil Lesh: alive

Creedence Clearwater Revival: 3 alive, 1 dead

John Fogerty: alive

Tom Fogerty: dead

Doug “Cosmo” Clifford: alive

Stu Cook: alive

Sly and the Family Stone: 7 alive

Sly Stone: alive

Freddie Stone: alive

Greg Errico: alive

Larry Graham: alive

Jerry Martini: alive

Cynthia Robinson: alive

Rosie Stone: alive

The Who: 2 alive, 2 dead

Roger Daltrey: alive

Pete Townshend: alive

John Entwistle: dead

Keith Moon: dead

Jefferson Airplane: 5 alive, 2 dead

Marty Balin: alive

Grace Slick: alive

Paul Kantner: alive

Jorma Kaukonen: alive

Jack Casady: alive

Spencer Dryden: dead

Nicky Hopkins: dead

57 performers: 44 alive, 13 dead

Death percentage (Day 2): 23%

Thirteen performers from the second day are now dead, the biggest number by far. However, a whopping fifty-seven people took the stage on Saturday.

The Who have lost 50% of their members, the highest of any band at the festival. Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, and the Jefferson Airplane are each down two, as well. But all seven members of Sly and the Family Stone are still kicking. And I find that to be fairly amazing, if you want to know the truth.

DAY THREE Sunday, August 17, 1969

Joe Cocker: alive

Country Joe & The Fish: 5 alive

Country Joe McDonald: alive

Barry “The Fish” Melton: alive

Greg “Duke” Dewey: alive

Mark Kapner: alive

Doug Metzler: alive

Ten Years After: 4 alive

Alvin Lee: alive

Leo Lyons: alive

Chick Churchill: alive

Ric Lee: alive

The Band: 3 alive, 2 dead

Robbie Robertson: alive

Rick Danko: dead

Levon Helm: alive

Garth Hudson: alive

Richard Manuel: dead

Blood, Sweat, and Tears: 9 alive

David Clayton-Thomas: alive

Bobby Colomby: alive

Jim Fielder: alive

Dick Halligan: alive

Jerry Hyman: alive

Steve Katz: alive

Fred Lipsius: alive

Lew Soloff: alive

Chuck Winfield: alive

Johnny Winter: alive

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: 6 alive

David Crosby: alive

Graham Nash: alive

Stephen Stills: alive

Neil Young: alive

Greg Reeves: alive

Dallas Taylor: alive

Paul Butterfield Blues Band: 7 alive, 3 dead

Paul Butterfield: dead

Howard “Buzzy” Feiten: alive

Rod Hicks: alive

Ted Harris: alive

Phillip Wilson: dead

Steve Madaio: alive

Keith Johnson: alive

David Sanborn: alive

Trevor Lawrence: alive

Gene Dinwiddie: dead

Sha-Na-Na: 12 alive

Joe Witkin: alive

Jocko Marcellino: alive

Donald “Donny” York: alive

Rob Leonard: alive

Alan Cooper: alive

Frederick “Dennis” Greene: alive

Dave Garrett: alive

Richard “Ritchie” Joffe: alive

Scott Powell: alive

Henry Gross: alive

Bruce Clarke III: alive

Elliot Cahn: alive

Jimi Hendrix: dead

54 performers: 48 alive, 6 dead

Death percentage (Day 3): 11%

Sha-Na-Na(?!), Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band filled the stage with performers. Why is it necessary to have a dozen people in your band? Doesn’t that seem a bit excessive? In any case, the death percentage for the final day of Woodstock is probably lower than that of my high school graduating class — even though it included high profile artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Rick Danko. Nicely done, Day Three!

And that brings us to the answer of my original question:

130 total performers: 105 alive, 25 dead

Total Woodstock death percentage: 19%

My inner-sensors told me the final number would be much higher; I would’ve bet good money the bottom-line would be closer to 35 or 40 percent. After all, it’s been four decades since the festival took place, and these are… musicians we’re talking about. The fact that only 19% of Woodstock performers have said “Goodnight Tokyo!,” is a pleasant surprise.

I spent considerable time researching this information, and believe it to be accurate. However, if you find an error, please let me know and I’ll fix it. I will attempt to keep a running tally, as well. So, check the Big Pie Chart of Death often!

See also: First Episode of SNL: Dead or Alive?

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