https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture...-during-performance-florida-festival-n1118611 Singer-songwriter David Olney has died at age 71, after falling silent and dropping his head in the midst of a performance at the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, Saturday night. 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. Olney was giving his second festival performance of the day as part of an "in the round" song-swap show with Amy Rigby, who was sitting next to him and described his last moments. "Olney was in the middle of his third song when he stopped, apologized, and shut his eyes," Rigby wrote on Facebook. "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." wow what a way to go...
I found out about this the day after it happened while visiting one of the small towns in the area where the festival was held. We were visiting a friend who lives in Pensacola and had gone for a drive along the coast on a beautiful day, much different from the day before. Stopping at a bar for a drink that was a venue, we ended up talking to someone who was at Olney's performance and she described his death in a way very similar to the description you posted. Olney said, "I'm sorry," and appeared to just nod off, still holding his guitar. It was one of the most peaceful deaths I have ever heard of. We should all be lucky enough to go that way.
One day someone will put this in a song and it will live forever. It almost wtrites itself ....a beautiful death....especially in that genre
