Del Shannon

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Del Shannon

Del Shannon (December 30, 1934 — February 8, 1990), was an American rock and roller who had a No. 1 hit ,"Runaway", in 1961

On February 8, 1990, Shannon shot himself in the head with a .22 caliber rifle. Shannon's wife, Bonnie, found his body at 11:25 p.m. in their Santa Clarita, California home, 35 miles north of Los Angeles. The rifle was next to his body in the den. His widow said his death might have been related to his use of Prozac.^[11] It was reported that Shannon had been recovering from dental surgery, and that he had a cold. His final album was released after his death, titled Rock On!.

During the summer of 1990, the country band Southern Pacific covered Shannon's hit "I Go To Pieces" (also a hit in 1965 for Peter & Gordon), with the video dedicated in Shannon's memory.

Shannon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and his contribution has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.