NEW YORK – Lead singer and drummer for ‘60s rock group The Band, Levon Helm, of Woodstock, died Thursday at age 71 after a long bout with cancer. He died at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.

Rob Curtis of the Town of Wallkill, a fellow drummer and former member of the Bill Perry Band, remembered Helm. “He was a legend,” Curtis said.

His band had opened for Helm a few times and he remembered that when Perry died a few years ago, Helm came to Orange County to play a tribute to him.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey, meanwhile, said Helm “wasn’t just a music icon, he was an icon of our Hudson Valley community.” Hinchey said while Helm’s music “was enjoyed the world over, it had special meaning to those of us who enjoyed his Midnight Rambles and other community events.”

Hinchey said his “good friend… has gone home, but his music will live on forever.”