NOTEWORTHY DEATHS

Woodstock star, longtime folk singer

Richie Havens, the veteran folk singer whose frenetic guitar strumming and impassioned vocals made him one of the defining voices and faces of Woodstock, and by extension, of 1960s pop music, died Monday of a heart attack at his home in New Jersey, his publicist said in a statement. He was 72.

The Brooklyn native was the opening act at the festival billed as “Three Days of Peace and Music” in upstate New York in August 1969, and galvanized rock fans as theytrekked into the festival site from across the country.

He charted more than a dozen albums over a period of nearly 20 years from 1968 to 1987, peaking with his 1971 album Alarm Clock, which reached No. 29 on the Billboard 200.

Havens toured and recorded for more than four decades, but had to give up touring last year because of complications after kidney surgery.

He is survived by four children and several grandchildren.6-term congressman, Common Cause CEOTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BURKE, Va. - Robert W. Edgar, who represented Pennsylvania for six terms in the House of Representatives and went on to lead the public-interest group Common Cause died Tuesday. He was 69.

Edgar collapsed Tuesday morning in the basement of his home in Burke after a run on the treadmill, said his wife of 48 years, Merle Edgar.

Edgar, a Democrat, was elected in 1974 in a large class of newcomers that went to Washington after the Watergate scandal. His political career ended after he lost a U.S. Senate campaign in 1986 to Arlen Specter.

Edgar had maintained an active travel schedule with Common Cause until his death, advocating for open government. He was the group’s president and chief executive officer from 2007 until his death.

He also was an ordained minister in the Methodist Church and was secretary general of the National Council of Churches from 2000 to 2007.

Edgar grew up in Springfield, Pa., and graduated from Lycoming College.

Arkansas, Pages 8 on 04/24/2013

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