Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner dies

Mr. Kantner suffered from a string of health problems in recent years, including a heart attack in March 2015.

With Jefferson Airplane, Kantner helped pioneer the oft-imitated psychedelic sound: simple, fuzzy guitar lines steeped in dreamlike reverb.

Kantner’s publicist Cynthia Bowman said he died of multiple organ failure and septic shock, according to SFGate.

Paul Kantner, the co-founder of the 1960s rock band Jefferson Airplane, has died aged 74. “Music would not be the same without the sounds of The Doors and Jefferson Airplane, which both contributed so heavily to the signature sound of the Sixties and Seventies”. Together, they recruited guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, bassist Jack Casady, drummer Skip Spence and vocalist Signe Anderson and released Jefferson Airplane Takes Off in 1966. In their first run, five of the band’s seven albums went gold, including 1967’s Surrealistic Pillow and 1968’s Crown of Creation.

The group, from San Francisco, wrote anthems for the hippie movement including Somebody To Love And White Rabbit.

He also wrote most of the songs on the group’s third album, After Bathing at Baxter’s, which is considered the band’s best.

In the 1970s, along with original Airplane singer Grace Slick, Jefferson Starship went on to greater commercial success, Rolling Stone said.

Kantner continued to play with various incarnations of Jefferson Starship until 1984, when Starship was formed. They were scheduled to keep touring this year, including a return to NYC on March 20 at BB King’s, though we can assume that tour is off. Jefferson Airplane are also set to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys this year.