Peter Fonda, the 1960s counterculture icon that created the role of "Captain America" in the 1969 hit Easy Rider, passed away yesterday from lung cancer at the age of 79. His death coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival. Fonda's enormous success with Easy Rider jumpstarted the independent film movement, and had Hollywood seeking out young, counterculture writers and directors to reflect the late '60s zeitgeist. Read some of the tributes to Fonda here. Fonda directed or acted in a number of films over his long career, including the film he was most proud of, The Hired Hand. RIP.
