Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg dies at age 56

WASHINGTON — Dan Fogelberg, a singer and songwriter who was known for soft-rock hits including "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne," died Sunday of prostate cancer at his home in Maine. He was 56.

A statement on his Web site said his wife, Jean, was at his side.

He wrote "Leader of the Band" in tribute to his father, Lawrence Fogelberg, a musician and bandleader.

"Same Old Lang Syne," a hit in the early 1980s that became a holiday classic, was inspired by his own life, he said. He was in his 20s and visiting his family in Peoria, Ill., where he was born. At a convenience store there, he said, he encountered by chance a former girlfriend.

The song, which shows aspects of the narrative style that characterized much of his work, described the meeting.

Observers of the music scene saw in his work the influence of a variety of styles and traditions, including pop, folk, classical, jazz and bluegrass.

"I've been performing in front of audiences since I was 12," he once said. "It's like breathing to me."

He attended the University of Illinois, was discovered while playing in a coffeehouse and began as a session musician. His album "Souvenirs," issued in 1974, included "Part of the Plan," a song credited with making him a star.

Mr. Fogelberg was known as a skilled pianist and guitarist and a singer of ballads who was no stranger to sentiment or soul-searching.

His later material focusing on the environment, an issue close to his heart. His last album was 2003's "Full Circle," his first album of original material in a decade.