Obituary
Leslie Abel Weinstein (A.K.A Leslie West), 75, a recent transplant to Ormond Beach, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2020, at Advent Health Palm Coast, after suffering a cardiac arrest two days earlier.
Leslie, born on October 22, 1945, originally from Forest Hills, New York, attended Quintanos School for Young Professionals, as well as Forest Hills High School in NYC.
Leslie was an iconic guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and storyteller. He has left a legacy that to this day is celebrated by peers and fans across The World.
Leslie first emerged in the music scene as a member of The Vagrants. He would go on to form Mountain with Felix Pappalardi, a few years later, a band that was amongst the first to pioneer the genre that would become known as Heavy Metal. Hits that include “Mississippi Queen,” “Theme From An Imaginary Western,” and others established an indelible voice and guitar tone that remains legendary to this day.
In 1969, Leslie played at Woodstock with his band Mountain. As the decade turned, he formed the band West, Bruce and Laing with his bandmate from Mountain drummer, Corky Laing, and Cream’s Jack Bruce.
West also appeared in films that include Family Honor (1973) and The Money Pit (1986). He was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show, and over the course of decades Leslie and Howard remained friends.
West was inducted in to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and appeared on dozens of other recordings from a vast universe of artists.
Leslie is survived by his wife Jenni West, whom he married on stage at the Woodstock 40th Anniversary performance; brother, Larry West-Weinstein, nephew Max Weinstein, stepchildren Sam, Jypsie, and Tatiana Maurer; grandchildren Damien, Zakkry, Lailoni and Maddox, as well as several stepfamily and cousins most dear to his heart.
Services for Leslie are private at this time; however, a public memorial will be planned for a later date.
Swansea U K 2005
Leslie at Woodstock 2009
you always..
You will be missed by so many. You will always be in my heart. I never stopped loving you.
Michelle
Leslie Weinstein aka Leslie West
I am 67 and hearing about your family's loss, left me deeply saddened. Throughout my lifetime, I always found myself coming back to Mountain, Leslie and his music.
May his memory serve as a blessing to all whole knew him and listen (still and forevermore) to his amazing legacy of music left behind.
You will be missed Leslie
In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
we remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
we remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share,
we remember them
So long as we live, they too shall live,
for they are now a part of us,
as we remember them.