{{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)<ref name="Boot-20Dec2019" /> was an American Linotype operator who became the husband and musical promoter 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.<ref name="RollStone-Obit">{{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}}</ref>
== Patsy Cline == Dick met Cline during a dance in Winchester in 1956, and they started dating. He married her in Winchester on September 15, 1957.<ref name="Boot-20Dec2019">{{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}}</ref> After their marriage, they moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
They had two children together, Julie Sidamore (a misspelling of Simadore) and Allen Randolph (Randy).<ref name="WOC-9Nov15">{{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}}</ref>
== Later life == After Cline's death, even though money wasn't a problem as royalty checks were still coming in,<ref> The Real Patsy Cline DVD, 1988 </ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> He later took part in many documentaries on Patsy Cline.<ref Name="Tenn-8Nov15">{{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}}</ref>
According to ''Rolling Stone'', "Throughout his life, Dick worked to preserve the legacy of Cline."<ref name="RollStone-Obit" /> ''Wide Open Country'' called Dick "a lifelong champion of [Cline's] music" and "dedicated to keeping Patsy's legacy alive".<ref name="WOC-9Nov15" /> ''The Tennessean'' referred to Dick as "a champion of her legacy for the last five decades."<ref Name="Tenn-8Nov15" />
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.<ref name="Boot-20Dec2019" /> 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.<ref name="Boot-20Dec2019" />
Dick died at his home in Nashville on November 8, 2015. He was 81 years old.<ref name="WOC-9Nov15" />
He is buried alongside Patsy Cline at Shenandoah Memorial Park in Winchester.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Patsy Cline}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, Charlie}} Category:1934 births Category:2015 deaths Category:People from King and Queen County, Virginia