AURORA, Colo. -- Henry J. Deutschendorf, a retired Air Force pilot and father of singer John Denver died of a massive heart attack, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday. He was 61.
A nursing supervisor said Deutschendorf died late Monday at Aurora Presbyterian Hospital with family members at his side. He had been admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit earlier in the day.
Deutschendorf retired after 26 years in the Air Force and had been living in the Denver area since 1969. His son, who changed his name from Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. when he became a singer, lives in Aspen about 200 miles away.
Denver, whose father was stationed in Roswell, N.M., when he was born in 1943, often credited his father with giving him his start in music by taking him to concerts at a young age. The family also lived in Lubbock, Texas, while Deutschendorf was station at Reese Air Force Base.
