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Richie Havens' Ashes Scattered Across 1969 Woodstock Site

Ritchie Havens Memorial
Scenes from the Richie Havens event, on Aug. 18, 2013, with Havens' daughter, right, and grandson, center (credit: Roland Marconi/CBS News)

 

(CBS SF/AP) - The ashes of Richie Havens have been scattered across the site of the 1969 Woodstock concert.

Havens was the first act at Woodstock and his performance of "Freedom" was a highlight of the event. He died in April of a heart attack at age 72.

Richie Havens Memorial
Danny Glover & Jose Feliciano attend the Richie Havens Memorial Celebration and Aerial Scattering pf Ashes at Bethel Woods Art Center (credit: Charles Norfleet/Getty Images)

 

The Times Herald-Record of Middletown reports that Havens' ashes were scattered from a plane as it flew over the upstate New York field during a ceremony on Sunday. About 30 family members attended the event, which drew more than a thousand fans. Actors Danny Glover and Louis Gossett Jr. were among the speakers and one of the performers, Jose Feliciano.

Richie Havens Memorial
Louis Gossett Jr. (credit: Charles Norfleet/Getty Images)

 

"Though he traveled throughout the world for decades visiting and returning to countless locations, Max Yasgur's field in the Town of Bethel, Sullivan County, New York always remained the location where Richie felt his deepest connection," noted a statement from his family.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the venue built on the Woodstock site, hosted the tribute on the 44th anniversary of the final day of the famous three-day concert.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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