Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. His career  spanned three decades, and John earned international acclaim as a singer, songwriter, performer,  and actor. As a folk/country singer his story telling songs became legendary within both genre's, and his many, across the board hits made him a truly unique, international star. The son of a U.S. Air Force officer, John also loved flying and was licensed to fly Air Force F-15 fighters. He starred in several movie's, but its for his music that he will be best remembered his "John Denver's Greatest Hits" album is one of the best selling albums in RCA's history. John died tragically testing his own experimental plane, which crashed into Monterey Bay, California. Although John Denver is undoubtedly best known for his music and films, he was also one of the nation's most visible environmental activists. His concern for the environment inspired him to establish the Windstar Foundation, a non-profit environmental education and research center that works for a sustainable future for the world. John Denver was also a member of the Presidential Commission on World and Domestic Hunger and was awarded the Presidential World Without Hunger Award. He supported many environmental and welfare organizations such as National Wildlife Federation, Save the Children, the Cousteau Society and Friends of the Earth. In recognition of this commitment to the environment, John Denver was the first recipient of the World Ecology Medal awarded by the International Center for Tropical Ecology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.