On Sunday, legendary guitarist Dick Dale passed away. He was 81. The cause of death was not known, but he had been battling poor health for some time and even mentioned in interviews that he needed to continuously tour just to cover medical expenses. Dale was born Richard Monsour in Boston in 1937. In the late '50s and early '60s he developed what is now known as surf rock and went on to influence many, many musicians including East Bay Ray, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Ry Cooder and the Beach Boys. Punknews sends condolences to Dale's family.