John Denver effortlessly blended folk, pop, and traditional country with real sadness and joy, and sold millions of albums in the process. He honed his chops and soothing tenor in the Chad Mitchell Trio before releasing his 1969 career-launching debut, Rhymes and Reasons. Chart-toppers like Back Home Again followed, and by the late '70s he was starring in TV specials and alongside George Burns in the blockbuster comedy Oh, God!. His fame perhaps waned in the '90s, but his legacy, including environmental and humanitarian work, remains long. He died in a 1997 plane crash at the age of 53.