Barbara Orbison (born Barbara Anne Marie Wellhöner Jakobs; January 10, 1950 – December 6, 2011) was a German-born United States–based entrepreneur, music producer and publisher, and the second wife of American musician Roy Orbison.
Biography
Barbara Anne Marie Wellhöner Jakobs was born in Bielefeld, Germany, on January 10, 1950. Her mother was Friedel Hitz. Aged 18, she met the 32-year-old Orbison when he asked friends to introduce him to her at Batley Variety Club, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, during Orbison's UK tour. A few weeks later, two of Orbison's three sons died in a house fire. Barbara and Orbison married on March 25, 1969, in Hendersonville, Tennessee. They divided their time between Nashville, Tennessee, and Malibu, California, bringing up their two sons, Roy Kelton Orbison, Jr. (born 1970) and Alexander “Orbi” Orbison (born 1975).
During the 1980s, she managed her husband's career and was the executive producer of his 1987 album, In Dreams: The Greatest Hits, plus his January 1988 televised music special, Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night. Following her husband's death on December 6, 1988, she took charge of his business affairs and dedicated herself to promoting his music to subsequent generations.
Death
Orbison was hospitalized from May 2011 until her death from pancreatic cancer on December 6, 2011. She was buried next to her husband at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. This was followed by a celebration of her life in Nashville, Tennessee.