The Day Roy Orbison Performed His Last Show

Roy Orbison left this world much earlier than many hoped or expected, leaving behind a musical legacy that continues to influence contemporary singers.

Orbison sang pretty much right up until the day he died on Dec. 6, 1988. Two days prior, he performed his very last show at the Front Row Theater in Highland Heights, Ohio. He’d only just recently finished recording what would become his comeback album, Mystery Girl, which was released posthumously in January of 1989. He’d also been traveling in Europe — on Nov. 19, he performed “You Got It” for the one and only time in public at the Diamond Awards Festival in Antwerp, Belgium.

Orbison was only 52 years old then, but people around him could see that he was, in a word, tired. It was around this time that he reportedly told his friend Johnny Cash that he’d been experiencing chest pains, but that his busy schedule wasn’t leaving much room to go visit a doctor. Nevertheless, he continued on with his various engagements, playing two shows in Boston on Dec. 2 and 3 before traveling on to Ohio.

Watch Roy Orbison’s Final Interview

On Dec. 4, after his concert, Orbison gave what would wind up being his final interview ever to local-access TV, where he talked about a potential movie about his life starring Martin Sheen as himself.

“It’ll take a couple of years to write the story and probably another year or two for the film,” he said. “So, I’ll try to get to that in the new year, with all the [Traveling] Wilbury videos and my new album and the tour and all that stuff.”

Orbison went on to mention plans of a “big” European tour in the spring, followed by one of the U.S. in the summer. “It’s all go, go, go,” he said.

Two Days Later

Orbison then headed back home to Hendersonville, Tennessee. On Dec. 6, he visited with his mother and son at her house. That evening, he went to the restroom, did not return for 30 minutes and was ultimately found collapsed on the bathroom floor. Orbison was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead of a heart attack.

In 2010, a live album documenting that final concert was released, titled The Last Concert.

Listen to Roy Orbison Perform ‘Pretty Woman’ at His Last Concert on Dec. 4, 1988

Roy Orbison, Dec. 4, 1988, Front Row Theater, Highland Heights, Ohio, Set List:

1. “Only the Lonely”
2. “Leah”
3. “Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)”
4. “In Dreams”
5. “Mean Woman Blues” (Elvis Presley cover)
6. “Blue Bayou”
7. “Candy Man” (Fred Neil cover)
8. “Crying”
9. “Ooby Dooby”
10. “Go! Go! Go!” (Roy Orbison and the Teen Kings cover) (“Go! Go! Go! (Down the Line)”)
11. “It’s Over”
12. “Working for the Man”
13. “Lana”
14. “Oh, Pretty Woman”
15. “Running Scared” (followed by “Running Scared” reprise)