DAN FOGELBERG: A TRUE ARTIST
I recall the moment I first heard your music like it was yesterday. I was in a Peaches record store in Cleveland, Ohio. I'd just scored "The Pretender" by Jackson Browne and was heading toward the exit sign. Then aloft, above the chaos and bustle, floated this angelic sound. It stopped me in my tracks. Your unique combination of harpsichord, 12-string harmonics and those stunning, celestial harmonies absolutely transported me. I headed back to the register and told them I had to know who it was they were playing. It was an artist I'd never heard of by the name of Dan Fogelberg -- the song was Scarecrow's Dream.

Little could I know then what a key figure you would come to be in my life. You became a good friend, graciously contributing your artistry to my recordings. To have co-written with you is a deep honor. For your helping hand, I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

Being allowed the rare privilege of getting to feel the fabric of your world affected me more deeply than you can know. The way you lived your life would become the gold standard for me. You inspired me to become a better person. Hanging out with you, I always felt like the little brother who had so much to learn. More to the point, I guess I regarded you as the big brother I never had. Your respect was not something easily earned, and I worked hard to do just that. There was no distance between your actions and your values -- and you had among the highest values of anyone I know: Live with gusto. Love with passion. Laugh hard. Follow a mission through to its completion. Never, ever compromise your art -- for anybody. Don't pay attention to critics -- even when they offer praise. Get involved politically and continue to pay vigilant attention -- certain politicians prey on our apathy. "Let mine be a voice for peace." Let faith be your strength and love be your guiding star... You defined integrity to me -- you taught so much just by example.

You were an authentic artist in every sense of the word. Yours was music that needed to be written and you weren't afraid to reveal your humanity to us -- two elements that I regard to be the most important barometers of art. In this era of cut and paste, paint-by-number corporate "artist" fabrications, you were the genuine article. Still, you were more than just an artist, you were a true Renaissance man - you not only composed incredible music, were a master wordsmith and phenomenal singer (all without the aid of "auto-tune" I might add!), but you did much of the arranging, producing and even engineering of your own records.

I think the common image of you as an extraordinary, sensitive singer-songwriter is certainly accurate, but that only reveals a tiny part of the intricate mosaic that was you. The Dan Fogelberg I knew was also an incredible photographer, painter, short-story writer, poet, political activist, environmental visionary (predictions you made to me in 1990 are now coming to pass, just as you foresaw even way back then). You were a lover of animals, a gardener (!), a passionate humanitarian and a generous supporter of charity. You were a voracious reader, a knowledgeable wine connoisseur, an engaging raconteur with a razor-sharp wit, an exceptional skier, a scuba diver, an avid sailor... but most importantly, a true-blue friend, a devoted son, and a loving husband.

As I sit here contemplating how profoundly you affected my life, it dawns on me... I am but one of literally millions whose lives you deeply touched. You were a hero, Dan - a true class act. The news of your passing hit me with the gravity of a thousand anvils. The snow has turned into rain for now though I know that you would be the first to tell us "this too shall pass", it's all just part of the plan. I know that your life's work -- your phenomenal body of art -- is your Living Legacy and will continue to profoundly touch countless more lives through the ages. We'll see you on the other side, my friend.

- Jim Wilson