Charlie Dick

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Charlie Dick
Born
Charles Allen Dick

(1934-05-24)May 24, 1934
DiedNovember 8, 2015(2015-11-08) (aged 81)
Resting placeShenandoah Memorial Park Winchester, Virginia
OccupationLinotype operator
Years active1956–2015
Known forBeing the widower of Patsy Cline
Spouses
  • (m. 1957; died 1963)
  • Jamey Ryan
    (m. 1965; div. 1970)

Charles Allen Dick (May 24, 1934 – November 8, 2015)[1] was an American Linotype operator who was best known as the widower of Patsy Cline.

Early life[edit]

Dick was born on May 24, 1934, near Whitehall, Virginia. He later moved to Winchester and worked as a Linotype operator for a local newspaper after high school.[2]

Patsy Cline[edit]

Dick met Patsy Cline during a dance in Winchester in 1956, and they started dating. Dick married Patsy Cline in Winchester on September 15, 1957.[1] After their marriage, they moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Dick was working as a Linotype operator at Fort Bragg. They moved back to Winchester in 1959 and remained married until 1963 when Cline died in a plane crash.[3]

They had two children together, Julie Sidamore (a misspelling of Simadore) and Allen Randolph (Randy).[4]

Later life[edit]

After Cline's death, even though money wasn't a problem as royalty checks were still coming in, [5] Dick went back to work, this time as a record promoter for Starday Records, a record label that was based in Nashville, Tennessee. Dick married country singer Jamey Ryan in 1965 and they divorced in 1970, having one child, Charles "Chip" Dick, Jr.[6] He later took part in many documentaries on Patsy Cline.[7]

According to Rolling Stone, "Throughout his life, Dick worked to preserve the legacy of Cline."[2] Wide Open Country called Dick "a lifelong champion of [Cline's] music" and "dedicated to keeping Patsy's legacy alive".[4] The Tennessean referred to Dick as "a champion of her legacy for the last five decades."[7]

After Coal Miner's Daughter came out in 1980, spurring interest in Cline, Dick played a part in having her albums re-released as The Patsy Cline Collection in 1991.[1] In 1997, he worked on the release of Patsy Cline: Live at the Cimarron Ballroom, a recording of a 1961 concert. This recording placed on the Billboard Country Albums Top 40 chart.[1]

Dick died at his home in Nashville on November 8, 2015. He was 81 years old.[4]

He is buried alongside Patsy Cline at Shenandoah Memorial Park in Winchester.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Stefano, Angela. "Charlie Dick, Patsy Cline's Widower, Dead at 81". The Boot. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  2. ^ a b Betts, Stephen L. (2015-11-09). "Patsy Cline's Widower Charlie Dick Dead at 81". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  3. ^ Randy McDaniel. "Widower Of Patsy Cline, Charlie Dick, Has Died". KXRB 1140 AM/100.1 FM. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  4. ^ a b c Liebig, Lorie (2015-11-09). "Charlie Dick, Widower of Patsy Cline, Dies at 81". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  5. ^ The Real Patsy Cline DVD, 1988
  6. ^ "Passings: Charlie Dick, Widower of Patsy Cline". VVN Music. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  7. ^ a b Thanki, Juli (November 8, 2015). "Charlie Dick, widower who championed Patsy Cline's legacy, dies at 81". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  8. ^ Keelor, Josette. "'Charlie' Dick to be laid to rest in Winchester". The Northern Virginia Daily. Retrieved 2020-01-04.