John Denver is a singer from Colorado.
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. ( December 31 , 1943 -- October 12 , 1997 ) , known professionally as John Denver , an American musician , singer-songwriter , record producer , activist , actor , and humanitarian , whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer . He lived in Aspen , Colorado for much of his life and was known for his love of Colorado which he sang about numerous times .