The Life of Beloved Star Ricky Nelson and His Tragic Demise

In August 1985, Rick performed alongside Fats Domino at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles for a concert intended for later television broadcast. The pairing carried special meaning because Domino’s “I’m Walkin’” had been the song Rick covered when he launched his recording career 28 years earlier.

At 45, Rick was increasingly looking back at his rock-and-roll roots without simply living in the past. The concert showed that audiences still responded warmly to the music that had made him famous. Behind the scenes, he was also preparing new material and hoping 1986 could become a genuine fresh start.