Singer David Olney Dies On Stage During Performance

Singer David Olney Dies On Stage During Performance Sean Calvin03 News

Singer David Olney Dies On Stage During Performance According to Variety Singer-songwriter David Olney died Saturday night at age 71 during a performance at 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida.

Some news reports said he “collapsed” on stage, but that isn’t quite true: Olney simply became still on his stool, leading some audience members and even the musicians beside him to think he was simply taking a pause, before they realized what had happened and lowered him to the stage.

Amy Rigby, who was sitting next to him, described his last moments in a Facebook post: “Olney was in the middle of his third song when he stopped, apologized, and shut his eyes,” Rigby wrote. “He was very still, sitting upright with his guitar on, wearing the coolest hat and a beautiful rust suede jacket we laughed about because it was raining like hell outside the boathouse where we were playing — I just want the picture to be as graceful and dignified as it was, because it at first looked like he was just taking a moment.”

Added Rigby, “Scott Miller had the presence of mind to say we needed to revive him. Doctors in the audience and 30A folks were all working so hard to get him to come to … We all lost someone important last night.”

Olney was born in 1948 and recorded 20 albums throughout his career. The following video was uploaded earlier on the day of his death.

Singer David Olney Dies On Stage During Performance

Olney was a revered figure in the folk-rock and Americana communities who had recorded 20 albums of his own as well as having his songs covered by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury and his former roommate Steve Earle.

The late Townes Van Zandt famously said of Olney: “Any time anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are… I say Mozart, Lightnin Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard — and that’s true. I mean that from my heart.”