Singer Norman Greenbaum Injured In Traffic Accident

Norman Greenbaum

Two people, including singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, remained in critical condition Sunday, a day after a motorcycle crashed into a Subaru Outback near Santa Rosa, CA, according to The Press-Democrat.

The driver of the Outback, Bonita Perea, 63, of Santa Rosa, was traveling east on Occidental Road and failed to yield to the motorcycle when turning left onto Piezzi Road, CHP officials said. The motorcycle driver, Ihab Usama Halaweh, 20, of Santa Rosa, crashed into the sedan and died at the scene.

The passenger on the motorcycle, identified as Nhimia Mekonnen Kahsay, 20, and Greenbaum, who was a passenger in the Outback, were injured in the crash and transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Greenbaum, 72, a longtime Sonoma County resident, was best known for his 1970 hit “Spirit in the Sky” — one of the most familiar pop songs of the past 50 years.




Greeenbaum's hit song sold two million singles for Warner Brother.

On his Twitter page, Greenbaum describes himself as a "one-hit wonder," but what a hit: "Spirit in the Sky," with its distinctive fuzz-toned guitar, spacey effects and gospel-tinged harmonies, has been featured in more than 40 movies and TV shows, including "Apollo 13" and "Ocean's Eleven," according to the Internet Movie Database. It was used to score one of the trailers for last year's "Guardians of the Galaxy."

"Because of 'Spirit in the Sky,' I don't have to work. So in that sense, it's a comfortable living," Greenbaum told The New York Times in 2006. He said he wrote the words in 15 minutes.