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Michael Lang, Woodstock festival co-creator, dies at 77

Michael Lang
Posted at 4:22 PM, Jan 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-11 16:22:14-05

NEW YORK (AP) — A co-creator and promoter of the 1969 Woodstock music festival that served as a touchstone for generations of music fans, Michael Lang has died.

A spokesperson for Lang's family says the 77-year-old had been battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and passed away Saturday in a New York City hospital.

Along with partners, Artie Kornfeld, John Roberts, and Joel Rosenman, Lang put together the festival billed as "three days of peace and music" that drew approximately 400,000 people to a farm northwest of New York City.

The concert featured iconic performances from artists including Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, The Who, and Jefferson Airplane.

The farm in which hosted the festival was owned by farmer Max Yasgur, the Associated Press reported.

A planned 50th-anniversary concert in 2019 was scrapped when a venue couldn't be secured.

According to the news outlet, Lang also helped organize the Miami Pop Festival in 1968.