The folk-pop singer-songwriter also scored a hit with “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain).”
Her children, Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred,announced the newson her verified Facebook page.
A cause of death was not disclosed.
Melanie in 1974.Michael Putland/Getty
As a teen she began performing in coffeehouses, eventually leading her to sign with Columbia Records.
While her debut album was well-received, it was her Woodstock performance that put her on the map.
Melanie was one of three solo women to perform at the festival.
and then, ‘Never mind,'" sherecalled to NJ.comin 2014.
“I became so terrified all day that I developed a bronchial cough.
I was in this weird terror all day long.”
She continued: “I didn’t go on until after Ravi Shankar.
It started to rain.
I finally got on.
I went on stage, totally terrified.
Right before, an announcer made an inspirational announcement about passing out candles.
Somewhere in there, I absorbed all of that.
And then, I had an out-of-body experience.
I left my body.
At some point, I was back in my body.
I felt this incredible glow of human connectedness.
I was not afraid any more.
I sang my heart out for a half-hour.”
From there, lighting candles became a trademark of her concerts, for better or worse.
“Brand New Key” was released in 1971, becoming an inescapable track that reached No.
1 on the charts (it was her only top 10 hit in the U.S.).
The song remains recognizable for its inclusion in films and TV shows likeBoogie NightsandDoctor Who.
Melanie married record producer Peter Schekeryk in 1968, with whom she shared her three children.
Schekeryk died in 2010.
Melanie recently collaborated on music with her children, and was working on a new album of cover songs.
