Musician, 88, and wife of 60 both died stranded in the Mojave Desert after their car broke down on a dirt road: he was found in the driver’s seat and his wife leaned against the rear tire of the car
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An 88-year-old musician and his 60-year-old wife have been found dead in the middle of a remote California desert after being left stranded in their car without gas. The bodies of Larry and Betty Petree were discovered Sunday afternoon on a dirt road in the Mojave Desert, 60 miles from home, despite the couple not normally traveling that far from their neighborhood. The popular pedal steel guitarist’s body was in the driver’s seat while Betty was outside, leaning against a rear tire, when she died. According to the investigators, there was no gasoline left in their car.
Police said there was no malicious intent and detectives were not on the scene. It is still not clear why the senior couple drove through the desert. Their deaths have raised concerns among relatives – who claim the elderly couple don’t stray too far from their home in Bakersfield, Southern California.
Kern County Sheriff’s Office said it will release the Petrees’ causes of death at “a later date.” Laurie Sanders, Larry’s cousin, told the Californian, “Right now I’m not quite sure what happened. What were they doing there? They don’t travel that far from home.’ According to the relative, Larry recently became disoriented and lost on his way to a gig – which was not good and could have been a ‘warning sign’.
After their sudden and tragic deaths, artist Jennifer Keel, who played with Larry for many years, said: “This really surprised me. ‘You never expect such a tragedy. Larry always had a smile and a kind word. He was a highly respected musician, a steel player, in the Bakersfield country music family. He just loved making music and although he played with different bands over the years, he was always available to fill in when you needed him.’ Ernie Lewis, who had been a friend of the couple since the 1970s, said: ‘Larry was a joy to be around, especially when we were on stage…. He was always polite and smiling, and when When it came to playing music, he was meticulous, just like when he was a mechanic for the Kern County Fire Department.”
Fellow musician Zane Adamo said, “His smile is something I will never forget. When he smiled, he had those big cheeks. And there’s no way you couldn’t smile when you saw Larry smile. And just the nicest man ever. And he had such good wisdom, and I remember talking to him and listening to every word he said.’ Larry played with the Western Swingsters for decades and passed on offers to play for more famous artists.
Except for the occasional gig, he stayed with the fire service for thirty years and stayed at home with Betty. The musician had played with the local band the Soda Crackers in the Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame about three weeks before his sudden death.
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