Saugerties, NY -- Dick Kniss, a bassist who performed for five decades with Peter, Paul and Mary and co-wrote the John Denver hit "Sunshine on My Shoulders," has died. He was 74.
Diane Kniss says her husband died Wednesday of pulmonary disease at a hospital near their home in the Hudson Valley town of Saugerties, N.Y.
Kniss was born in Portland, Ore., and was an original member of Denver's 1970s band. He also played with jazz greats including Herbie Hancock and Woody Herman.
Active in the 1960s civil rights movement, Kniss performed at benefits for a range of causes and played during the first celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday.
Peter Yarrow says Kniss' bass was "a great fourth voice" in Peter, Paul and Mary.
AP