Bobby Fuller: 50 years unsolved

[1990 UM fan]

This past July 18th marked 50 years since rocker Bobby Fuller's mysterious death. You may remember Unsolved Mysteries airing his story on October 18th, 1996.

Bobby Fuller was born Robert Gaston Fuller on October 22, 1942 in Baytown, Texas, the oldest of 2 sons born to Lawson Sheppard Fuller and Eva Lorraine Barrett. From a young age, Bobby was influenced musically by Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and Buddy Holly. He formed The Bobby Fuller Four with his younger brother Randy and they were signed to Del-Fi Records in 1964 by Bob Keane after years of recording on independent record labels in El Paso, Texas. Their covers of "I Fought the Law" and "Love's Made a Fool of You" garnered them popularity.

On July 18th, 1966, Bobby's mother Eva stated that Bobby's car was not in the parking lot of his apartment complex the night before his death and all day on July 18th. At 5pm, she went to check the mail and his car inexplicably appeared, where she found her son laying in the front seat, dead. His body was in full rigor mortis, which indicated he'd been dead for several hours. Blood was also found on Bobby's face, chest and the front seat, and Bobby's clothes were soaked with gasoline. A gasoline can was also found in the floorboard of the passenger's seat. Police suspected that Bobby committed suicide by inhaling gasoline fumes, but his family contested that theory, saying that Bobby was not depressed and had no reason to end his life. The actions of the police also raised suspicion. No fingerprints were taken off the car, nobody was questioned as to what they had seen or knew, and the gasoline can was discarded in the trash. People remarked that it looked as if Bobby had been beaten up, which could also say that the bruises were the result of earlier injuries or decomposition of the body, and others stated that a finger of his was broken and that blood was on his shirt.

In the days leading up to his death, Bobby had been increasingly unhappy with Bob Keane and the record company, namely that Bobby wanted to stick with the signature sound of fellow rocker Buddy Holly, whereas Bob Keane wanted Bobby to play using his own style. A young lady, only introduced as "Melody", was thought to have known the answers to Bobby's death. She was often seen in the recording studio, but Bobby did not tell anyone much about her, other than that they were in a clandestine affair, due to the rumor that Melody's boyfriend had ties to the mob and was a violent man. Randy Fuller said that Bobby had plans to meet Melody at a party on the beach the night of his death. Randy was concerned about alcohol and drugs being at the party, and did not want Bobby to compromise himself by getting involved with it. It was rumored that Melody got Bobby involved with LSD and that he died of a drug overdose, but no drugs were found in his system. Another rumor was that Bobby was involved in a fight, and in a panic, people at the party staged his death to look like a suicide. Some thirty years after Bobby's death, the young woman known as "Melody" came forward and said she did not have a boyfriend who was involved with the mob, nor was she with Bobby the night died and had no knowledge of the alleged party. Melody also strongly felt that Bobby did not commit suicide. 50 years after Bobby Fuller's death, his death remains a mystery.