Charlie Dick
{{short description|American Linotype operator (1934–2015)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Charlie Dick
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Charles Allen Dick
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|5|24}}
| birth_place = Whitehall, Virginia, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|11|8|1934|5|24}}
| death_place = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
| resting_place = Shenandoah Memorial Park Winchester, Virginia
| occupation = Linotype operator
| years_active = 1956–2015
| known_for = Being the widower of Patsy Cline
| notable_works =
| children = 3
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|end=d.|Patsy Cline|1957|1963}}|{{marriage|end=div.|Jamey Ryan|1965|1970}}}}
}}
Charles Allen Dick (May 24, 1934 – November 8, 2015) was an American Linotype operator who was best known as the widower of Country singer Patsy Cline.
Early life
Dick was born on May 24, 1934, near Whitehall, Virginia. He later moved to Winchester and worked as a Linotype operator for a local newspaper after high school.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/patsy-clines-widower-charlie-dick-dead-at-81-48490/|title=Patsy Cline's Widower Charlie Dick Dead at 81|last=Betts|first=Stephen L.|date=2015-11-09|website=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-20}}
Patsy Cline
Dick met Patsy Cline during a dance in Winchester in 1956, and they started dating. Dick married Patsy Cline in Winchester on September 15, 1957.{{Cite web|url=https://theboot.com/charlie-dick-dead-dies/|title=Charlie Dick, Patsy Cline's Widower, Dead at 81|last=Stefano|first=Angela|website=The Boot|language=en|access-date=2019-12-20}} After their marriage, they moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Dick was working as a Linotype operator at Fort Bragg. They moved back to Winchester in 1959 and remained married until 1963 when Cline died in a plane crash.{{Cite web|url=https://kxrb.com/husband-of-country-legend-patsy-cline-dies-charlie-dick-was-81/|title=Widower Of Patsy Cline, Charlie Dick, Has Died|last=Randy McDaniel|website=KXRB 1140 AM/100.1 FM|language=en|access-date=2019-12-20}}
They had two children together, Julie Sidamore (a misspelling of Simadore) and Allen Randolph (Randy).{{Cite web|url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/charlie-dick-widower-patsy-cline-dies-81/|title=Charlie Dick, Widower of Patsy Cline, Dies at 81|last=Liebig|first=Lorie|date=2015-11-09|website=Wide Open Country|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-20}}
Later life
After Cline's death, even though money wasn't a problem as royalty checks were still coming in, The Real Patsy Cline DVD, 1988 Dick went back to work, this time as a record promoter for Starday Records, a record label that was based in Nashville, Tennessee. Dick married country singer Jamey Ryan in 1965 and they divorced in 1970, having one child, Charles "Chip" Dick, Jr.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2015/11/passings-charlie-dick-widower-of-patsy.html|title=Passings: Charlie Dick, Widower of Patsy Cline|website=VVN Music|access-date=2020-01-04}} He later took part in many documentaries on Patsy Cline.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/08/charlie-dick-widower-who-kept-patsy-clines-legacy-alive-dies-81/75431630/ |title=Charlie Dick, widower who championed Patsy Cline's legacy, dies at 81|last=Thanki |first=Juli |website=The Tennessean |date=November 8, 2015 |language=en |access-date=2020-01-04}}
According to Rolling Stone, "Throughout his life, Dick worked to preserve the legacy of Cline." Wide Open Country called Dick "a lifelong champion of [Cline's] music" and "dedicated to keeping Patsy's legacy alive". The Tennessean referred to Dick as "a champion of her legacy for the last five decades."
After Coal Miner's Daughter came out in 1980, spurring interest in Cline, Dick played a part in having her albums re-released as The Patsy Cline Collection in 1991. In 1997, he worked on the release of Patsy Cline: Live at the Cimarron Ballroom, a recording of a 1961 concert. This recording placed on the Billboard Country Albums Top 40 chart.
Dick died at his home in Nashville on November 8, 2015. He was 81 years old.
He is buried alongside Patsy Cline at Shenandoah Memorial Park in Winchester.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nvdaily.com/news/local-news/charlie-dick-to-be-laid-to-rest-in-winchester/article_0788f66c-820c-5976-b147-fc1dd5bb4d70.html|title=‘Charlie’ Dick to be laid to rest in Winchester|last=Keelor|first=Josette|website=The Northern Virginia Daily|language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Patsy Cline}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Charlie}}