Bobby Vee Dead at 73

Bobby Vee has died at the age of 73 from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Vee was diagnosed with the disease in 2011, the year he performed his final show, and spent the last 13 months in hospice care. His son, Jeff Velline, confirms. Vee passed peacefully and surrounded by family, but it was “the end of a long hard road.” Velline added that Vee was “a person who brought joy all over the world. That was his job.”

Bobby Vee got his start as a 15-year-old stand-in for Buddy Holly in Moorhead, Minnesota on February 3rd, 1959, the “day the music died.”

Vee had 38 songs make their mark on the Hot 100 charts — 10 in the top 20 — including “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “Run to Him,” “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” and “Come Back When You Grow Up.” Vee also gave a young Bob Dylan, known by his stage name Elston Gunn, his start with a brief stint in his touring band. Dylan spoke fondly of Vee, notably during a concert in 2013 with Vee in attendance.