Twenty years ago today, John Denver left this earth all too soon. Whether his country-inflected songs inspire or irritate you, there is no doubt that his oeuvre defines what Colorado once was and still is (at least in the pockets that haven't been overrun by entrepreneurial techies and ugly construction).
After the songster died, he still managed to make his way into headlines, and often for bizarre reasons. Writing tales about everything John Denver, from his stolen head to his nutsack, our writers have long enjoyed chronicling the heists and antics.
To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of his passing, here are twenty of Westword's weirdest stories about John Denver.
John Denver Is Good for the Heart
Rolling Stone and John Denver's Nutsack
John Denver's Comeback
Some Monster Stole John Denver's Head
The Bounty on John Denver's Head Is Now a Year's Supply of Free Beer
The End of the Great John Denver Bust Heist
Photos: Ten Weirdest Pieces of John Denver Art
John Denver: Five Things You May Not Know
A Toddler Singing a John Denver Song — Adorable or Horrifying?
Sorry, John Denver: West Virginia Is Not Almost Heaven
Best New Revelation About John Denver: His FBI File
John Denver Is Commemorated With Signature Skis From Denver-Based Icelantic
The John Denver Musical A Moment in Time Is Crap — but It's Our Crap
John Denver Peak-Naming Controversy Goes National Thanks to NPR (AUDIO)
Noise Complaint for "Rocking Out" to John Denver? Makes Sense to Us
If You Listen Closely to a Rock, Does It Sound Like John Denver?
Is John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" About Marijuana, or Is It a Big Myth-Understanding?
Pretty Lights Gives John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" a Sonic Makeover
Photos: Tour John Denver's Former Estate in Aspen, Which Is on Sale for $10.75 Million
John Denver Tribute: John Hickenlooper, Bill Vidal Politely Don't Say His Songs Suck (PHOTOS)