The King of Surf Rock, Dick Dale has died at the age of 81. He was the pioneer of the surf rock sound. The way he played his Fender was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. He drew influence from middle eastern scales and unique reverb. The surf rocker influenced hundreds of thousands of musicians including Jack White. Sadly, Dale was plagued with health issues. He'd been fighting kidney failure, rectal cancer, and heart problems. He stayed on the road up until the end. He said he had to keep playing in order to pay his medical bills. Pretty sad end, but hopefully he knew how much the world loved him. RIP Dick Dale.