- In 1966, his wife, Claudette, died in a motorcycle accident. Two years later, two of his sons were killed in a housefire.
- Longtime neighbors with Johnny Cash in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
- Was close friends with Elvis Presley and actor Martin Sheen.
- Teamed up with Bob Dylan, Beatle George Harrison, Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra and Tom Petty in the group The Traveling Wilburys.
- He smoked up to 80 cigarettes a day until he underwent triple coronary bypass surgery in January 1978. He continued to smoke cigarettes until his sudden death.
- Children: Roy Dewayne Orbison (1958 - September 15, 1968), Anthony King Orbison (1962 - September 15, 1968) and Wesley Orbison (born 1965) by first wife Claudette. Roy Kelton Orbison Jr. (born October 18, 1970) and Alex Orbison (born 1975) by second wife Barbara.
- His identification with Wayfarer sunglasses began when he went on tour to England in the early 1960s, and forgot his regular specs. His lenses were prescription, but some fans mistook Orbison for being blind.
- He was a huge fan of Star Trek (1966) and would often play the original series' theme song at the beginning of his shows. In Star Trek: First Contact (1996), his version of "Ooby Dooby" is the first piece of human culture ever shared with an alien race.
- Was one of the Million Dollar singers for little record company Sun Records based in Memphis, Tennessee with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.
- Near the end of his life, he became friends with k.d. lang after they recorded his hit single "Crying" (1961) as a duet.
- The look of Marvel Comics supervillain and Spider-Man archenemy, Doctor Octopus is said to be based on him.
- David Lynch frequently uses his songs in his films.
- He was posthumously awarded a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee in November 5, 2006.
- He was voted the 37th Greatest Artist in Rock 'n' Roll by Rolling Stone.
- Last met Elvis Presley in Las Vegas, Nevada in the King's last concert in gambling city (1976). Orbison was in the audience and Presley said on the microphone: "Quite simply, the greatest singer in the world, Roy Orbison.".
- Toured the United Kingdom three times during 1963 and with Eagles (1980).
- Recorded the song "Hound Dog Man" (1979) in the memory of Elvis Presley.
- He offered his first big hit song "Only the Lonely" (1960) originally to Elvis Presley, but unfortunately all the material for Presley's next album had already been chosen. Roy later offered the song to The Everly Brothers who had a previous hit with another Roy Orbison composition, "Claudette" (1958). They suggested he record the song himself which he finally did.
- Scored his first minor hit single with "Ooby Dooby" (1956) and had a No. 1 hit single with "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964).
- Made only one movie in his career: The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), which was offered to him after his friend Elvis Presley turned down.
- In 1977, Linda Ronstadt recorded a new version of "Blue Bayou" that became a major success and remained in the country music charts for months. In the early 1980s, Don McLean's recording of "Crying" charted all over the world, reaching No. 1 in the United Kingdom. A duet between Orbison and Emmylou Harris took him to the country music Top 10 and crossed over into the pop charts.
- His natural hair color was platinum blond; however, he never liked his hair and began dyeing his hair black in his teens. He also had a ponytail in the last year of his life.
- First saw Elvis Presley in concert (1955). Presley was in his concert and entered in backstage the next year. Orbison kept telling about Elvis' visit to his friends.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1987), the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (1989), America's Pop Music Hall of Fame (2014), and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (2014).
- Following his sudden death, he was interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
- Re-recorded many of his classic hits to critical and commercial success (1987).
- He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California on January 29, 2010.
- Remained very popular in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, through the 1970s when his records in the United States were no longer making the charts.
- Attended the University of North Texas and Odessa College.
- Recorded many of his most famous hits from the 1960s with legendary guitarist Hank Garland.
- Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 674-676. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1999).
- When Orbison was first in the United Kingdom, he toured with The Beatles.
- Of Roy's early compositions "Down the Line" was first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis (1957) and The Everly Brothers had a charted hit with "Claudette" (1958) #30 US Pop, #1 UK.
- He wanted his close friend Martin Sheen to portray him in a biopic.
- Was known to insist his backup performers give their best at every performance. Reportedly, one night while touring in Florida he dismissed his regular band (called the Candy Men, after an early hit), then invited the opening group, the Webs, to join him on tour, adopting the Candy Men name. One member of the Webs was singer/songwriter Bobby Goldsboro.
- Ranked #49 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.
- Is mentioned in Bruce Springsteen's 1975 song "Thunder Road".
- The steady drum beat signifying confrontation in Roy's recording of "Running Scared" is reminiscent of the arrangement used in Frankie Laine's recording of "High Noon".
- His favorite cigarettes were Camels.
- A 1977 reunion LP with Fred Foster was disappointing, as was his album "Laminar Flow" (1979) on Elektra/Asylum Records, which he recorded shortly after he underwent triple-bypass heart surgery.
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