Fans flock to his Facebook page to share stories . His family asks for him as Helm , 71 , ` ` makes his way through this part of his journey '' He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998 . ` I was at Woodstock and heard you play ! '' The former drummer rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s ; fell on hard times in life .
Fans flock to his Facebook page to share stories . His family asks for him as Helm , 71 , ` ` makes his way through this part of his journey '' He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998 . The former drummer rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s ; fell on hard times in life .