Editing John Denver (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:JohnDenverMemorialPacificGrove.JPG|thumb|The plaque marking the location of Denver's plane crash in [[Pacific Grove, California]]]]
Upon the announcement of Denver's death, Colorado Governor [[Roy Romer]] ordered all state flags to be lowered to [[half-mast|half-staff]] in his honor. Funeral services were held at Faith Presbyterian Church in [[Aurora, Colorado]], on October 17, 1997, officiated by Pastor Les Felker, a retired Air Force chaplain, after which Denver's remains were cremated and his ashes scattered in the Rocky Mountains. Further tributes were made at the following Grammy and [[Country Music Association]] Awards.

In 1998, Denver posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the [[World Folk Music Association]], which also established a new award in his honor.<ref name="noble">{{cite book|title=Number #1 : the story of the original Highwaymen|last=Noble|first=Richard E.|publisher=Outskirts Press|year=2009|isbn=9781432738099|location=Denver|pages=265–267|oclc=426388468}}</ref>

In 2000, CBS presented the television film ''Take Me Home: The John Denver Story'' loosely based on his memoirs, starring [[Chad Lowe]] as Denver. The ''New York Post'' wrote, "An overachiever like John Denver couldn't have been this boring".<ref>Buckman, Adam. "Home Movie Disses Denver", ''[[New York Post]]'', April 29, 2000.</ref> 

[[File:John Denver bench.jpg|thumb|The John Denver Bench at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in [[Kempton, PA]]]] That same year on April 22, [[Hawk Mountain Sanctuary]] in [[Kempton, Pennsylvania]] dedicated a bench that was funded by donations as a tribute to his memory for that year's Earth Day. The bench sits on the South Lookout of the sanctuary.

On September 23, 2007, nearly 10 years after Denver's death, his brother Ron witnessed the dedication of a plaque placed near the crash site in Pacific Grove, California.

Copies of DVDs of Denver's many television appearances are now sought-after collectibles, especially his one-hour specials from the 1970s and his six-part series for Britain's BBC, ''The John Denver Show''.{{CN|date=April 2025}} An anthology musical featuring Denver's music, ''Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday'', premiered at the Rubicon Theatre Company in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shellworld.net/~emily/jdfriend.html |title=John Denver and Friends Rocky Mountain High |publisher=Shellworld.net |date=April 17, 2009 |access-date=May 9, 2011}}</ref>

On March 12, 2007, the [[Colorado Senate]] passed a resolution to make Denver's trademark 1972 hit "[[Rocky Mountain High]]" one of the state's two official state songs, sharing the honor with its predecessor, "[[Where the Columbines Grow]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/song/co_rocky_mountain_high.htm |title=Colorado State Song Rocky Mountain High composed by John Denver |publisher=Netstate.com |access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> The resolution passed 50–11 in the House, defeating an objection by Representative [[Debbie Stafford]] that the song reflected drug use, most specifically in the line "friends around the campfire and everybody's high". Senator [[Bob Hagedorn]], who sponsored the proposal, defended the song as having nothing to do with drugs but rather everything to do with sharing with friends the euphoria of experiencing the beauty of Colorado's mountain vistas. Senator Nancy Todd said, "John Denver to me is an icon of what Colorado is".<ref>''Denver Post'', March 13, 2007</ref>

[[File:DSCN2983 johndenvermemorial e 600.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|John Denver Memorial stone with the lyrics to "Rocky Mountain High" in Rio Grande Park, Aspen, Colorado<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aspenportrait.com/john_denver_sanctuary/denver1-0706.html |title=John Denver Sanctuary, Aspen, Colorado |publisher=Aspenportrait.com |date=October 12, 1997 |access-date=May 9, 2011}}</ref>]]
On September 24, 2007, the California Friends of John Denver and The Windstar Foundation unveiled a bronze plaque near the spot where his plane went down. The site had been marked by a driftwood log carved by Jeffrey Pine with Denver's name, but fears that the memorial could be washed out to sea sparked the campaign for a more permanent memorial. Initially, the Pacific Grove Council denied permission for the memorial, fearing the place would attract ghoulish curiosity from extreme fans.{{CN|date=April 2025}} Permission was finally granted in 1999, but the project was put on hold at the request of Denver's family. Eventually, over 100 friends and family attended the dedication of the plaque, which features a [[Relief#Bas-relief or low relief|bas-relief]] of the singer's face and lines from his song "Windsong": "So welcome the wind and the wisdom she offers. Follow her summons when she calls again."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johndenverclub.org/JohnDenverPlaque/johndenvermemorialplaquepacificgrove.html |title=John Denver Memorial Plaque Pacific Grove |publisher=Johndenverclub.org |access-date=May 9, 2011}}</ref>

To mark the 10th anniversary of his death, Denver's family released a set of previously unreleased recordings of his 1985 concert performances in the [[Soviet Union]]. This two-CD set, ''John Denver – Live in the USSR'', was produced by [[Roger Nichols (recording engineer)|Roger Nichols]] and released by AAO Music. These digital recordings were made during eleven concerts and then rediscovered in 2002. Included in this set is a previously unreleased rendition of "[[Annie's Song]]" in Russian. The collection was released to the general public on November 6, 2007.<ref name="Windstar_Russia_CD" />

On October 13, 2009, a DVD box set of previously unreleased concert recordings from Denver's career was released by [[Eagle Rock Entertainment]]. ''Around the World Live'' is a 5-disc DVD set featuring three complete live performances with a full band from Australia in 1977, Japan in 1981, and England in 1986. These are complemented by a solo acoustic performance from Japan in 1984 and performances at [[Farm Aid]] from 1985, 1987, and 1990. The final disc has two-hour-long documentaries made by Denver.

On April 21, 2011, Denver became the first inductee into the [[Colorado Music Hall of Fame]]. A benefit concert was held at Broomfield's [[1stBank Center]] and hosted by [[Olivia Newton-John]]. Other performers participating in the event included the [[Nitty Gritty Dirt Band]], [[Lee Ann Womack]], and [[John Oates]]. Both his ex-wives attended, and the award was presented to his three children.

The [[Spirit (sculpture)|John Denver ''Spirit'' sculpture]] is a 2002 bronze sculpture statue by artist [[Sue DiCicco]] that was financed by Denver's fans. It is at the [[Colorado Music Hall of Fame]] at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

On March 7, 2014, the West Virginia Legislature approved a resolution to make "Take Me Home, Country Roads" the official state song. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the resolution into law on March 8.<ref>{{cite web |title="Country Roads" To Become Fourth Official West Virginia State Song |url=http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/140307_23786.shtml |publisher=Eyewitness News |access-date=July 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308010234/http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/140307_23786.shtml |archive-date=March 8, 2014}}</ref> Denver is only the second person, along with [[Stephen Foster]], to have written [[List of U.S. state songs|two state songs]].

On October 24, 2014, Denver was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in Los Angeles, California.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baskin|first1=Gregory|title=John Denver To Get Posthumous Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame [Video]|url=http://guardianlv.com/2014/10/john-denver-to-get-posthumous-star-on-hollywood-walk-of-fame-video/|access-date=October 18, 2014|publisher=Guardian Liberty Voice|date=October 16, 2014}}</ref>