Yeah I first heard him when I started college probably in 1965 or 66, and I really loved his guitar. NO ONE else sounded like that. Bought a bunch of his records over the years, and I guess he was one of those folk who fell into the bottle far too often.
Here's the story about him from the Statesman Journal (Salem OR), Feb 23. It was on the front page, with a picture.
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AREA GUITARIST JOHN FAHEY DIES
The Grammy winner died three days after having heart bypass surgery
By Alan Gustafson

John Fahey, a legendary American guitarist and Grammy winner who continued to make music while living in a series of dingy Salem motels, died here Thursday. Fahey's death at Salem Hospital came three days after he underwent heart bypass surgery. He slipped into a coma after Monday's operation and was taken off life support Thursday, said his former wife, Melody Fahey of Salem.
"His body just didn't make it through the stresses of the operation," she said.
Fahey was 61. An accomplished guitarist since his teens, he made his first album in 1959, and recorded several albums in the '60s that are recognised as classics of their kind.
"He's America's leading finger-style guitarist. He invented the style," said Tim Knight, owner of Guitar Castle in Salem, who played organ, guitar and percussions with Fahey's local group, the John Fahey Trio.
In all, Fahey released 45 albums since the 1960s. He made his mark, not only for musical versatility and innovative playing, but also for his brilliant mind and eccentric manner.
"People called him a genius, " Knight said. "He would laught that off in a hurry. He was the most down-home person you'd ever meet as far as not waving his own flag. He let others do that.
"John was a man who played Carnegie Hall. John was a man who won a Grammy. But those things were not important to him. The important things to him were things like Chinese food. He loved to eat."
Described as a bear of a man, with a large appetite for life, Fahey's eclectic interests ranged from folklore and religion to spontaneous paintings done with antifreeze and paints even he couldn't identify.
"He called himself a spiritual detective," Melody Fahey said. "He spent quite a bit of time being an Episcopalian but he also had an interest in Eastern religions."

West Coast Move
Raised in Maryland, John Fahey said in a 1998 interview that his life was profoundly changed by a move to the West Coast in the early 1960s.
"I hated my family, so a bunch of us decided to move to Berkeley and take over the folk music scene. So we did," he said. "I moved out there in 1963. We were pretty successful and a lot of us got degrees."
Fahey got a master's in folklore and mythology from the University of California at Los Angeles, added up an undergradiate degree in philosophy and theology from American University in Washington, DC. John and Melody Fahey, his third wife, moved from Los Angeles to Salem in 1981.
"He bought a home here to get as far away from LA as he could, " Knight said. "He absolutely loved the climate and the relaxation that Oregon brought him."
He was burdened by frequent health problems including diabetes, restless leg syndrome and a viral condition known as Epstein-Barr. After his marriage to Melody ended nearly a decade ago, Fahey variously lived in his car, on the streets and in low-rent motels.
"I've been very creative, making a lot of records, but I'm poor," he once told the Statesman Journal. "I'm in debt to the Internal Revenue Service and a lot of other people. That's how I'm paying them off, by getting gigs."
Even so, making money never amounted to a big concern for Fahey.
"I've seen him with plenty of it and none of it," Knight said. "It wasn't something that interested him at all. He would give it away. I was a recipient of plenty of it."
In return, friends often helped him with gifts and money. Fahey also regularly acquired cash for food by buying and reselling old books and records -- including his own.

Grammy Award
Fahey typically downplayed his legendary status and accomplishments, including his Grammy. It was awarded in 1997 for Best Album Notes on the Smithsonian Institutuion's release of "Anthology of American Folk Music". After decades as a recording artist, Fahey reportedly was miffed that he was honored for his literary skill. Friends said Fahey was a happy man, even without wealth and conventional fame. He once provided the same assessment for a reporter.
"Because I know I'm good inside," he explained. "I believe in talent."
A Salem memorial service is being planned. the place and time are yet to be determined.
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Blessings,
Barbara