Rock ‘n’ roller Bobby Vee dead at 73

Rock ‘n’ roll veteran Bobby Vee has died, aged 73.
The North Dakota native, real name Robert Velline, lost his battle with Alzheimer’s disease on Monday (24Oct16).
He was only 15 when he shot to fame by filling in for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper when they all died in a plane crash in February, 1959, on their way to a show at the Moorhead National Guard Armory in Minnesota.
The gig helped turn Vee and his band The Shadows into state darlings, and Vee quickly became a household name across the U.S. thanks to hits like Take Care Good of My Baby, Run to Him, Rubber Ball, and The Night Has A Thousand Eyes.
He also helped a young Bob Dylan get his start in music.
Vee began having trouble remembering lyrics during performances, and he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. He performed his last show that year, but he didn’t announce his diagnosis until 2012.
His final album, The Adobe Sessions, was released in 2014. Karen, his wife of over five decades, died of kidney failure in 2015.