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Arts & Entertainment

Levon Helm, Beat and Voice of the Band, Dies at 71

The Band singer Levon Helm is dead at age 71 after a long battle with cancer, the Huffington Post reports. He passed away April 19 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Levon Helm, the only American in the Americana rock band the Band, passed away today after a long battle with cancer.

According to this article on Huffington Post, Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998. A message posted on his website by his family on April 17 announced he was "in the final stage of his battle with cancer."

Helm achieved fame as singer and drummer for the roots rock group, The Band, and he can be heard on their classic tracks, including "The Weight" and "Up on Cripple Creek." He also played Loretta Lynn's father in "Coal Miner's Daughter," among other roles.

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In 2007, Helm won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for his studio album, "Dirt Farmer," and his 2010 album, "Electric Dirt," won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. He followed his win in 2011 by taking home the same award for his live album, "Ramble at the Ryman."

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