The Legendary Songwriter Who Gave the World “The Roy Orbison Sound” Dies at 91

Joe Melson has died. The songwriter, who’s best known for his work with Roy Orbison, died on July 1, his son-in-law revealed on Facebook. He was 91.

“It is with profound sadness I must inform that my father in law, Joe Melson, has passed on to write better songs (if that can be done),” the post read. “Mr. Melson left by natural causes at the age of 91 on July 1st with family close by.”

“This tremendous man has left the same tremendous hole with Raindrops, Raining in our Hearts,” the post continued. “Thank you all for your kindness to Joe throughout his over 75 year career. He was still writing up until Father’s Day this year. What a passion for his craft.”

Roy Orbison’s Estate Pays Tribute to Joe Melson

Shortly after the announcement of Melson’s death, Orbison’s estate took to Facebook to pay tribute to the late songwriter.

“In 1959, a young songwriter named Joe Melson tapped on the window of Roy’s car in West Texas. Roy was sitting there, guitar in hand, working out a melody the way he often did,” the post read. “That knock on the glass changed everything.”

“Joe heard something in Roy—a voice built for heartbreak, for the operatic, for songs that didn’t just tell a story but ached,” the post continued. “What followed was one of the great songwriting partnerships in American music.”

Throughout their working relationship, the men wrote more than 120 songs together including “Only the Lonely,” “Crying,” “Running Scared,” “Blue Angel,” and “Blue Bayou.”

“Joe was rightfully inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, a long-overdue recognition for a man some called the most unsung hero in songwriting,” the post continued. “But to our family, he was something simpler and dearer: the friend who saw what was possible in Roy before the rest of the world did, and who never stopped being proud of what they built together.”

“We send our love to Joe’s family, and our deepest gratitude for a partnership that gave the world ‘the Roy Orbison sound,’” the post concluded. “Rest easy, Joe. Thank you for hearing it first.”

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images