Back to This Week in Music History: February 3 - 9
February 9, 1981: Bill Haley Dies
Evening Standard, Hulton Archive
Arguably the first rock 'n' roll star and singer of hits like "Rock Around the Clock", "See You Later Alligator" and "Shake Rattle and Roll," Bill Haley dies of a heart attack at age 55. By the time of his death he was in financial trouble and was considered musically irrelevant.
Not coincidentally, the Beatles -- one of the reasons Haley was considered irrelevant -- made their debut appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on this day in 1966.
