Roy Orbison

American musician (1936 –1988)
Person human Q188426
Roy Orbison
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Roy Orbison

Summary

Roy Orbison is a human[1]. He was born in Vernon[2]. He was born on April 23, 1936[3]. He passed away in Nashville[4]. He died on December 6, 1988[5]. He worked as a singer[6], guitarist[7], composer[8], songwriter[9], and singer-songwriter[10]. He ranks in the top 0.23% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (17,218 views/month, #2,255 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Born in Vernon[2], Roy Orbison…
  • Roy Orbison passed away in Nashville[4].
  • Roy Orbison was born on April 23, 1936[3].
  • Roy Orbison died on December 6, 1988[5].
  • Burial took place at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery[12].
  • Among Roy Orbison's spouses was Barbara Orbison[13].
  • A child of Roy Orbison was Roy Kelton Orbison Jr.[14].
  • A child of Roy Orbison was Alex Orbison[15].
  • Roy Orbison held citizenship in United States[16].
  • English was Roy Orbison's native language[17].
  • Roy Orbison worked as a singer[6].
  • Roy Orbison's professions included guitarist[7].
  • Roy Orbison worked as a composer[8].
  • Roy Orbison's professions included songwriter[9].
  • Roy Orbison worked as a singer-songwriter[10].
  • Roy Orbison worked as a vocalist[18].
  • Roy Orbison was educated at University of North Texas[19].
  • Roy Orbison's education included a stint at Paxon School for Advanced Studies[20].
  • A notable work attributed to Roy Orbison is Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)[21].
  • A notable work attributed to Roy Orbison is Crying[22].
  • A notable work attributed to Roy Orbison is Oh, Pretty Woman[23].
  • Roy Orbison received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[24].
  • Roy Orbison received the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[25].
  • Roy Orbison received the star on Hollywood Walk of Fame[26].
  • Roy Orbison was a member of Traveling Wilburys[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Roy Orbison's place of birth was Vernon[2]. He was born on April 23, 1936[3]. English was his native language[17].

Education

Educated at University of North Texas[19], a public research university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1890[30], headquartered in Denton[31] and Paxon School for Advanced Studies[20], a high school[32], in United States[33], founded in 1954[34].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include singer[6], guitarist[7], composer[8], songwriter[9], singer-songwriter[10], and vocalist[18].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)[21], a musical work/composition[35]; Crying[22], a musical work/composition[36]; and Oh, Pretty Woman[23], a musical work/composition[37]. Things named for Roy Orbison include Orectochilus orbisonorum[38], a taxon[39].

Recognition

Awards received include Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[24], a lifetime achievement award[40], in United States[41], founded in 1962[42]; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[25], a music museum[43], in United States[44], founded in 1983[45]; and star on Hollywood Walk of Fame[26], a commemorative plaque[46], in United States[47].

Personal Life

Among Roy Orbison's spouses was Barbara Orbison[13]. Children include Roy Kelton Orbison Jr.[14], a film producer[48], b. 1970[49], of United States[50] and Alex Orbison[15], a drummer[51], b. 1975[52], of United States[53].

Death and Burial

Roy Orbison died on December 6, 1988[5]. He died in Nashville[4]. The cause of death was myocardial infarction[54]. He is buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery[12].

Why It Matters

Roy Orbison ranks in the top 0.23% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (17,218 views/month, #2,255 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 28 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[55] He is known by 37 alternative names across languages and contexts.[56]

He has been cited as an influence by U2[57], a musical group[58], in Ireland[59], founded in 1976[60] and Agnes Obel[61], a singer-songwriter[62], b. 1980[63], of Kingdom of Denmark[64], specialised in music composing[65].

Works attributed to him include California Blue[66], a song[67]. Entities named for him include Orectochilus orbisonorum[38], a taxon[39].

FAQs

Where was Roy Orbison born?

Roy Orbison was born in Vernon[2].

Where did Roy Orbison die?

Roy Orbison passed away in Nashville[4].

Who was Roy Orbison married to?

Roy Orbison's spouses include Barbara Orbison[13].

What did Roy Orbison do for work?

Roy Orbison worked as singer[6], guitarist[7], composer[8], songwriter[9], and singer-songwriter[10].

Where did Roy Orbison go to school?

Roy Orbison was educated at University of North Texas[19] and Paxon School for Advanced Studies[20].

What awards did Roy Orbison receive?

Honors received include Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award[24], Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[25], and star on Hollywood Walk of Fame[26].

Who did Roy Orbison influence?

Roy Orbison has been cited as an influence by U2[57] and Agnes Obel[61].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
  4. [16] . wikidata.org.
  5. [14] . wikidata.org.
  6. [15] . wikidata.org.
  7. [19] . wikidata.org.
  8. [20] . wikidata.org.
  9. [17] . wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . wikidata.org.
  12. [8] . wikidata.org.
  13. [9] . wikidata.org.
  14. [10] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [18] . wikidata.org.
  16. [12] . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] . wikidata.org.
  18. [25] . wikidata.org.
  19. [26] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [27] . wikidata.org.
  21. [54] . wikidata.org.
  22. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [21] . acclaimedmusic.net. acclaimedmusic.net. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [22] . acclaimedmusic.net. acclaimedmusic.net. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [23] . acclaimedmusic.net. acclaimedmusic.net. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [57] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [61] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [66] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [38] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [55] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [56] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Roy Orbison. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/roy-orbison
MLA “Roy Orbison.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/roy-orbison.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_roy-orbison_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Roy Orbison}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/roy-orbison}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 2d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    Occupation singer, guitarist, composer +4
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32074|batch #32074]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (21)"
  2. 19d ago · GeertivpBot bot · 2026-05-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Start of work period +1954-00-00T00:00:00Z
    Work period end
    Grammy awards artist id roy-orbison/5136
    End of work period +1988-00-00T00:00:00Z
    + 47 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update-languages-short:0||mul, en */ #pwb Copy label"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.