roy kelton orbison (april 23, 1936 - december 6, 1988) was an american singer. in 1987, he was named into the rock and roll hall of fame. orbison was popular in the 1960s. he became less popular in the 1970s, but began to make a career comeback in the 1980s. however, as he was becoming more popular again, he died of a heart attack at the age of 53 in henderson, tennessee.