Paul Kantner, Founding Member Of Jefferson Airplane, Dead At 74

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paul Kantner, one of the founding members of 1960s San Francisco psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, died on Thursday aged 74, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Kantner died from multiple organ failure and septic shock after suffering a heart attack earlier this week, the newspaper said, citing the band’s publicist, Cynthia Bowman.

Bowman could not immediately be reached by Reuters on Thursday, and requests for comment to other representatives for the band were not immediately returned.

Kantner and singer Marty Balin formed Jefferson Airplane in the mid-1960s with musicians including Grace Slick and Jorma Kaukonen, scoring hits such as “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” The band split in 1972 and Kantner formed a spin-off group, Jefferson Starship.

Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and will receive a Grammy lifetime achievement award at next month’s Grammy Awards ceremony.

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