Dan Fogelberg, a singer-songwriter best known for his heavenly vocals, died on Sunday at the age of 56. He had been battling advanced prostate cancer for three years.

Fogelberg was most famous in the late 1970’s and the early 1980’s with hits such as Leader of the Band, Hard to Say and Same Old Lang Syne. Each of those three songs appeared on his “The Innocent Age” album, which was one of the best selling music albums in 1981. Other famous songs by Fogelberg include A Love Like This and Longer. A note on his official website indicated that Fogelberg died peacefully next to his wife in his home in Maine.

After learning of his cancer diagnosis three years ago, Fogelberg became an activist for men over the age of 50 to be tested regularly for prostate cancer. Born in 1951 in Peoria, Illinois, Fogelberg was the son of an opera singer and bandleader. Fogelberg attended the University of Illinois but left before graduating to concentrate on his music career.

Fogelberg’s latest album was “Full Circle”, which was released in 2003 – shortly before he learned of his advanced prostate cancer prognosis.