The songwriter, who co-wrote Roy Orbison's hit song, passed away on October 24 at 73 reportedly after diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
- Nov 1, 2012
AceShowbiz - Bill Dees, one of the men behing classic hit "Oh, Pretty Woman", has passed away. The songwriter died Wednesday, October 24 night at a nursing facility in Mountain Home, in Arkansas, according to an announcement posted on the website of the Kirby & Family Funeral Home. He was 73 years old.
Dees is survived by his wife Nancy Decker-Dees, four children and two step-children, a brother and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. No other details are released on his death, but he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor last summer. A memorial service is scheduled to take place Saturday, November 11 at Sanctuary of Hope church on Bee Creek Road in Branson.
Dees is famous for collaborating with Roy Orbison in writing "Oh, Pretty Woman", which later became Orbison's hit song. The track is featured in the soundtrack of 1990's film "Pretty Woman" starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
In the early 1990s, Dees was involved in a lawsuit when rap group 2 Live Crew recorded a rewrite of the song without permission from Acuff-Rose Music Inc., which owned the copyright. "It's like if someone asks you if they could use the car. We said no, but they take it and paint it all different colors," the Borger-born musician said in 1993.
Dees also teamed up with Orbison on more songs, including the hit "It's Over". The two remained friends until Orbison died in 1988.
