If I had to pick a place to die it would be where he died, along side the Eggemoggin Reach in Deer Isle Maine. It is a beautiful place. I would spend at least 2 weeks every summer at my grandmother's place on Deer Isle. Dan bought up there, about the time he came out with Same Old Lang Syne, less then a mile from her house. I never met him but most Islanders who had dealings with him said he was a pretty down to earth guy. He will be missed.
Like Dave Schultz, Dan died from prostate cancer. I took this from Dan's web site:
I took this from Dan's web site as it is very important to have a prostate exam, too many have been lost too early as they never got a checkup:
In May of 2004, Dan was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
A personal letter from D.F.
I cannot adequately express my gratitude to all of the thousands of wonderful people who have sent such incredibly moving and supportive e-mails via the Living Legacy web site. It is truly overwhelming and humbling to realize how many lives my music has touched so deeply all these years. Each one of you who have taken the time and effort to reach out to Jean and I have helped immeasurably to uplift our spirits and keep us looking strongly forward during some very rough moments. I thank you from the very depths of my heart.
I currently have no plans to return to the concert stage or the recording studio in the foreseeable future, but who knows? At least for now, I prefer to keep my options open.
Again my deepest thanks and love to all,
Dan
Now for the sermon.
To each and every man....
I cannot encourage you strongly enough to get a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) and a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test EVERY YEAR.
The medical community suggests this for men over 50, but men with a family history of prostate cancer should start getting tested at age 40.
The PSA test is a simple blood test...it only takes a minute or two. The DRE, okay, every man squirms at the thought of this exam, but hey, it too takes only a minute or two, and IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.
Prostate cancer can be very slow growing or very aggressive, but detected early while it is still confined to the prostate gland, it can usually be treated and cured successfully.
Once it spreads beyond the prostate it is called Advanced Prostate Cancer (PCa). At this point it becomes imminently more life threatening and harder to treat. Do yourself and your loved ones a huge favor and GET CHECKED REGULARLY. I promise you, you DON’T want to go through what I’m going through if you can avoid it.
Education and awareness are key, I urge you to follow the link below to the Prostate Cancer Foundation web site and read up on how best to protect yourself and reduce your likelihood of contracting this terrible disease.
Prostate Cancer Foundation
