Levon Helm Laid To Rest

A week after his death, family, friends and fans of the late Levon Helm packed into his Woodstock, N.Y. barn/studio/performance space to pay their final respects to the singer and drummer of the Band. Helm passed away on April 19 after a long battle with throat cancer.

Schoolbuses provided by a local company transported approximately 2,000 people from two locations in the city to Helm's house. Inside the barn, they walked through a hall filled with his memorabilia, including his Grammy awards. A slide show displaying images of his life and career played above his closed casket, which was flanked by Helm's drum kit and a piano.

The next day (April 27). Helm was laid to rest in the Woodstock Cemetery next to Rick Danko, the bassist and singer in the Band, who died in 1999. Following the funeral, a New Orleans-style processional, with drums and horns playing, led the way out of the cemetery. Video from a local news channel can be found here.

Later that day, singer Rosanne Cash tweeted, "Just leaving Woodstock; so much music today. The drumline through the graveyard-- I'll never forget." Cash also said that she had the honor of singing with Cat Russell and Joan Osborne at the funeral, adding that the material was "many old gospel hymns, a couple of his songs."