The cause of death is unknown, but Balin's health declined in 2016 following open heart surgery and complications which resulted in him suing Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City for medical malpractice. I found this quite disturbing given my Dad's life saving experience with the same institution nearly four years ago.
Balin would establish The Jefferson Airplane in 1965 out of a club he co-owned in San Francisco called The Matrix along with Paul Kantner, Signe Toly Anderson, Jorma Kaukonen, Jerry Peloquin and Bob Harvey. Anderson would be soon succeeded by Grace Slick. She and Kantner would be the best known members of the Airplane although Balin is probably best remembered for his lead vocal on "Volunteers" during their set at Woodstock. Balin would have a far less pleasant experience at Altamont only months later when he was knocked out by a member of the Hell's Angels gang. Shaken up by the death of Janis Joplin, Balin would leave the Airplane late in 1970 and retreated from music for a time.
Balin would reconnect with his musical comrades in 1974 when Kantner invited him to sing lead vocal on a song called "Caroline" which appeared on Dragon Fly which was the debut album for The Jefferson Starship. He would soon become a full fledged member and would reach his creative peak the following year with the band's second album Red Octopus which featured the group's biggest hit "Miracles" which Balin wrote and sang lead vocal. The Jefferson Starship would later score hits with "With Your Love" and "Count on Me" which appeared on Spitfire and Earth released in 1976 and 1978, respectively before he departed the band.
In 1981, Balin would release his debut solo album Balin which featured the Top 10 hit "Hearts". Later in the decade, he would collaborate with Kantner and Jack Casady in the KBC Band. The last three decades of his career were spent recording 10 more solo albums and occasional reunions with The Jefferson Starship.
One of my everlasting regrets was missing his performance at the Hatch Shell on The Esplanade in Boston in June 2008. He was opening for America and somehow I got there just as his performance ended. The crowd was raving about his performance. Evidently someone saw fit to release this performance on DVD. I must see it one of these days.
The best I can do for now is leave you with Miracles. R.I.P.
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