Died On This Date (September 15, 2017) Harry Dean Stanton / Character Actor & Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Harry Dean Stanton
July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017
Harry Dean Stanton, the beloved character actor and singer/musician passed away from natural causes at the age of 91. To many, he was that down-on-his-luck bad guy whose face they’d seen in many of his 250+ films but whose name they could never remember. Stanton was also a singer who haunted LA clubs for decades, playing in front of adoring fans of both his music and his films. Born in Irvine, Kentucky, Stanton served in the US Navy during WWII. Upon his return to the states, he eventually settled in Los Angeles where he took up acting. Throughout his career, he earned critical praise for his work in art house and mainstream movies alike. His long resume includes, Paris, Texas, Two-Lane Blacktop, Repo Man, Christine, and The Green Mile. His TV credits are equally impressive, having appeared on Gunsmoke, Two And A Half Men, Big Love and more. As for his career/hobby as a musician, Stanton sang and played the guitar and harmonica in his own band, the Harry Dean Stanton Band (or as it had previously been called, Harry Dean Stanton Stanton & the Repo Men), mostly playing covers LA’s seedier clubs throughout the ’80s and ’90s. But, he could also be found on stage alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, Chaka Khan, Bing Crosby, and Bono. In 2014 Omnivore Records released his debut album – at the age of 88 – Partly Fiction. A soundtrack to the documentary, Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction, it collected his intimate and sometimes heart-breaking covers of American folk classics.
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