Former Twentynine Palms resident Dick Dale, a surf rock pioneer, died Saturday night. He was 81. The guitarist’s health had declined over the past 20 years due to several illnesses, including diabetes, kidney disease and rectal cancer. Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” became his most famous surf rock song, and was featured by Quentin Tarantino in the opening credits of “Pulp Fiction.” Dale also worked with Leo Fender on boosting amplifiers because Dale kept blowing up his amps. The news of Dale’s death was confirmed by multiple national news services.
