On This Day, December 4, 1988: Roy Orbison plays his final concert

By Jill Lances

December 04, 2023 at 5:05 am CST

On This Day, December 4, 1988…

Roy Orbison performed what would be his final concert at the Front Row Theater in Highland Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

The concert featured performances of such Orbison classics as “Crying,” “In Dreams,” “Only the Lonely,” “Oh, Pretty Woman” and more.

After the show, Orbison returned home to Hendersonville, Tennessee, where he died from a heart attack on December 6. He was 52.

Orbison’s many accolades include being a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame. He won five Grammy Awards and was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.