In a 2015 interview with Billboard , Dale, who toured well into his twilight years, was candid about the various health issues he faced — including renal failure, diabetes and more — as he continued to travel the country and perform. “Even with my illnesses and diseases,” he said, “I’m faster with my hands than I’ve ever been.”
What a legend.
Damn. We play Miserlou as a playoff at the end of the first set every night. 
That’s one of the ways being musician is better than being an athlete. By 50 years old, and in most sports considerably earlier, an athlete’s best days are behind him. It’s very difficult to face not being able to do what you used to do anymore, what you did all your adult life. When you can’t make a living anymore doing the only thing you’ve ever done, when the women stop hoping you’ll ask them out because you can’t do what you once could or look like you once did because your body is broken down after a career of competing at a high level in a physically demanding profession, it can be devastating. We’ve all heard the stories about athletes dying at young ages because they just didn’t know what to do with themselves anymore and/or stopped caring when their careers were gone.
As musicians, we’re in a much more fortunate position. We can keep improving all our lives, and at 50 years old the best days of our careers can still be ahead of us.