Karl Farr(1909-1961)

On September 22, 1961, he appeared on stage with The Sons of the Pioneers before a crowd of 4,000 in West Springfield, MA. He broke a string while playing his acoustic Martin on a solo of 'Up A Lazy River'. This upset him very much and while trying to remove the broken string, he slumped down on to the floor. Fellow band members Tommy Doss and Dale Warren carried him off the stage. Although Farr was not officially pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, the doctor in charge later said he was DOA for all intents and purposes, with the cause being a heart attack.