Roy Orbison

Born in Vernon, Texas, in 1936, Roy Orbison—famously nicknamed "The Big O"—was a pioneering singer-songwriter defined by his soaring, four-octave voice and emotionally vulnerable rock ballads. After early success at Sun Records with the rockabilly hit "Ooby Dooby," he reached international superstardom in the 1960s with Monument Records, producing timeless classics like "Only the Lonely," "Crying," and "Oh, Pretty Woman". Recognizable by his signature black attire and dark sunglasses—initially worn to combat shyness and later a permanent fixture after a pair was left on an airplane—Orbison’s career was marred by profound personal tragedy, including the accidental death of his first wife and the loss of two sons in a house fire. Despite a period of obscurity in the 1970s, he experienced a massive late-80s resurgence through the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys and his solo album Mystery Girl. He died of a heart attack in 1988 at age 52, just as his career reached a new peak, and remains celebrated as one of rock’s greatest vocalists with a legacy maintained by the Official Roy Orbison Estate.