Paul Kantner Jefferson Airplane - H 2016
Getty ImagesJefferson Airplane guitarist and founding member Paul Kantner has died. He was 74.
Kantner died Thursday of multiple organ failure. He had suffered a heart attack earlier in the week. Kantner’s publicist confirmed the news with the San Francisco Chronicle.
From 1965-1972, Jefferson Airplane was a pioneer in the Bay Area counterculture psychedelic rock scene, first defining what became known as the “San Francisco sound.”
The band’s second album, 1967’s Surrealistic Pillow, hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with the help of singles “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” The band performed at the 1960s’ three most famous American rock festivals — Monterey in 1967 and Woodstock and Altamont in 1969.
Kantner is the first of Jefferson Airplane’s founding members to have passed away. He also was a founding member of the group’s spinoff band, Jefferson Starship, which took off in 1974.
This article first appeared on Billboard.com.
