R.I.P. Richie Havens, Bed-Stuy native

Richie Havens, who was born in Brooklyn in 1941 and grew up in Bed-Stuy, died today at the age of 72. He famously opened the Woodstock festival (the 1969 one, not those 90s style biters), and gave a gritty, folky gravitas to many pop tunes he covered. Here’s a video of him singing “Wonder Child” from Sesame Street (yes, it is Sesame Street, despite the lack of Muppets) in 1975. The sky was a nicer shade of blue because of you, Richie.