There are some folks that sort of herald the passing of an era. I think he's one of those.

> The most recent thing I saw him in, with a
> bunch of other musical celebrities, was the
> "Concert for George" done as a
> memorial tribute to George Harrison a year
> after he died. Billy Preston was a welcome
> addition. He looked very thin, and I figured
> it was due to some health issue, so I tried
> to see if I could find out anything online,
> but without any success. Apparently, not
> long after that show, he went downhill, and
> has been in a coma for a number of months.
> Some kind of cancer, I believe.

> More recently, the "Concert for
> Bangladesh" has been released on DVD.
> One high point, for me, is when Billy
> "has church" in the middle of the
> song, "That's the Way God Planned
> It", leaving his keyboard and launching
> into a "spirit dance" all around
> the stage, much to the bewilderment of
> Harrison and the other musicians.

> He'll be missed.