Melanie Dies: ‘Brand New Key’ Singer-Songwriter, Woodstock Favorite Was 76

Melanie, the witty, gentle-voiced singer-songwriter who rose to fame with her crowd-pleasing performance at Woodstock in 1969 and had two major hit singles – “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” – in its aftermath, died January 23. She was 76.

Her death was announced by her children Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred. A cause of death was not disclosed.

“Dear Ones,” they wrote on Facebook, using the greeting favored by their mother, “This is the hardest post for us to write, and there are so many things we want to say, first, and there’s no easy way except to say it… Mom passed, peacefully, out of this world and into the next on January 23rd, 2024.”

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