Here's Who Inherited Roy Orbison's Money After His Death

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Orbison met his second wife, Barbara Wellhoener Jakobs (above), while on tour in Leeds, U.K. in 1969. The couple soon married and had two children, sons Roy Jr. and Alex (via Parade Magazine). The new Mrs. Orbison proved to be a monumental force in her husband's career, serving as his manager until his death on December 6, 1988. The Los Angeles Times reports that after his death at age 52, his widow worked hard to not only keep his musical legacy alive but dedicated herself tirelessly to grow it. The final album of his career, "Mystery Girl," debuted two months after his death and hit No. 5 on the sales charts. She also secured the release of the four-CD box set "Roy Orbison: The Soul of Rock and Roll," in 2008, putting his music together in a 107-song collection for fans new and old alike.

The most valuable piece of Orbison's estate by far was given to the wife and business manager who survived him. Rolling Stone reports that she was put in charge of her late husband's entire musical catalog; Independent referred to her as one of the wealthiest widows in pop history. Barbara was a powerful steward of the musical portion of his estate, suing several entities for unlawful use of his songs and likeness, as well as going after Sony (via Deseret News) for failure to pay the estate for royalties (per BBC). But if weren't for two horrific tragedies that he was forced to endure some 20 years before his death, the shape of his estate would have looked completely different.

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