Barbara Orbison

Barbara Orbison was a German-born American entrepreneur, music producer and publisher, and the second wife of American musician Roy Orbison. She was born in Bielefeld, West Germany on January 10, 1950. Her mother was Friedel Hitz, a wealthy industrialist's daughter. She met Roy Orbison when she was 18 years old at a nightclub in England, where he was performing during his UK tour. A few weeks later, two of Roy's three sons died in a house fire. Barbara and Roy married on March 25, 1969, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. They divided their time between Nashville, Tennessee and Malibu, California, raising their two sons, Roy Kelton Orbison Jr. and Alexander Orbi Orbison, as well as Roy's eldest son from his previous marriage, Wesley Orbison. During the 1980s, Barbara managed her husband's career and was the executive producer of his 1987 album, In Dreams: The Greatest Hits, as well as his 1988 televised music special, Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night. She also collaborated with Jeff Lynne to assemble the posthumous release of the King of Hearts album in 1992. She co-produced Only the Lonely: The Roy Orbison Story, a European stage musical based on Roy's life and songs. Following her husband's death on December 6, 1988 from a heart attack, Barbara took charge of his business affairs and dedicated herself to promoting his music to subsequent generations. She founded Still Working Music, a publishing company that employs songwriters such as Tommy Lee James and Chase Bryant. She also produced Damien Leith's album, Roy: A Tribute to Roy Orbison, which was released in Australia on Roy's 75th birthday in 2011. Barbara was also involved with charitable causes in aid of the homeless. In 1990, she produced a Roy Orbison tribute at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles that raised over $1 million for the city's homeless. She personally funded "Orbison House", a 21-unit residence for the mentally impaired homeless of Los Angeles. Barbara was hospitalized from May 2011 until her death from pancreatic cancer on December 6, 2011. She died on the same day as her husband's death anniversary. She was buried next to him at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. She is survived by her three sons and four grandchildren.