Roy Kelton Orbison ( April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988 ) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads.

His youngest son with Claudette ( Wesley, born 1965 ) was raised by Orbison's parents ; Orbison and Barbara had a son ( Roy Kelton ) in 1970 and another ( Alexander ) in 1974.

They divided their time between Nashville and Malibu, California, raising their two sons, Roy Kelton Orbison, Jr. ( born 1970 ) and Alexander Lee Orbison ( born 1974 ).

She was survived by her sons Roy Kelton Orbison ( born 1970 ) and Alexander Orbison ( born 1974 ).

* Dark Star: The Roy Orbison Story, a 1990 book by Ellis Amburn

In 1980, McLean had an international number one hit with a cover of the Roy Orbison classic, " Crying ".

ELO effectively disbanded after that final show in Stuttgart in 1986, but there was no announcement made of it for the next two years, during which George Harrison's Lynne-produced album Cloud Nine and the pair's follow-up ( with Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty as Traveling Wilburys ) Traveling Wilburys Vol.

It was updated in early 1991 to mourn the passing of Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Dennis Wilson, John Lennon, Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cass Elliot, who died a few months after the original version of the song was released.

Roy Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas, the middle son of Orbie Lee Orbison, an oil well driller and car mechanic, and Nadine Shultz, a nurse.

All the Orbison children were afflicted with poor eyesight ; Roy used thick corrective lenses from an early age.

Orbison's success was greater in Britain ; as Billboard magazine noted, " In a 68-week period that began on August 8, 1963, Roy Orbison was the only American artist to have a number-one single in Britain.

The same year, Orbison was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and initiated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen, who concluded his speech with a reference to his own song " Thunder Road ": " I wanted a record with words like Bob Dylan that sounded like Phil Spector — but, most of all, I wanted to sing like Roy Orbison.

Now everyone knows that no one sings like Roy Orbison.

Lang later recounted how humbled Orbison had been by the show of support from so many talented and busy musicians: " Roy looked at all of us and said, ' If there is anything I can ever do for you, please call on me.

" The concert was filmed in one take and aired on Cinemax under the title Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night ; it was released on video by Virgin Records, selling 50, 000 copies.

Lynne later spoke of the recording sessions: " Everybody just sat there going, ' Wow, it's Roy Orbison !'...

As I become more interested in songwriting, you hit a wall where Roy Orbison is standing.

Bob Dylan marked Orbison as a specific influence, remarking that there was nothing like him on radio in the early 1960s: With Roy, you didn't know if you were listening to mariachi or opera.

* 1972: Roy Orbison – Live from Australia

* 1987: Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night

* 1999: In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story

Dark Star: The Roy Orbison Story, Carol Publishing Group.

Roy Orbison: The Invention of An Alternative Rock Masculinity, Temple University Press.

* Roy Orbison: The Big O life story by Marie Claire Magazine Australia

* 1975 Roy Orbison private phone interview with Ronnie Allen ( researcher for Casey Kasem )