John Denver (1943-1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr, in Roswell, New Mexico, was a singer and songwriter best known for simple, sincere acoustic guitar-based ballads that drew upon folk, country, and popular styles of music. Among his best known songs were "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (popularized by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary in 1969), "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (1971), and "Rocky Mountain High" (1972). His recordings, which included 14 gold and eight platinum albums, sold more than 100 million copies, making him one of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s. A supporter of numerous humanitarian and environmental causes, he helped found the Hunger Project, whose goal was to eliminate world hunger by the year 2000. Although his album sales tapered off after the 1970s, he continued to tour internationally. On October 12, 1997, Denver died when the newly-purchased experimental Long-EZ plane he was piloting ran out of gas, and crashed into Monterey Bay.