February 9

1981, February 9

Singer Bill Haley was found dead, fully clothed on his bed at his home in Harlington, Texas, USA, from a heart attack.... Haley had sold over 60 million records during his career. Scored the 1955 UK & US No.1 single 'Rock Around The Clock', and became known as the first Rock 'n' Roll star. Haley was blinded in the left eye as a child due to a botched operation, and later adopted his distinctive spit curl hairstyle to distract attention from the blind eye.

A self-admitted alcoholic, Haley fought a battle with the bottle well into the 1970s. Nonetheless, he and his band continued to be a popular touring draw, enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1960s with the Rock and roll revival movement and the signing of a lucrative record deal with the European label Sonet Records. After performing for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance in 1979, Haley made his final performances in South Africa in May and June 1980. Prior to the South African tour, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and a proposed tour of Germany in the fall of 1980 was canceled.

There seems to be little information extant about Haley's last days...