Dick Vivian, the beloved owner of Rooky Ricardo’s Records in the Lower Haight, whose easy charm and vast collection of soul and early rock and roll 45s drew generations of customers, many of whom became lifelong friends, died Friday after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis last year.

Rooky Ricardo's announced Sunday that owner Dick Vivian died peacefully Friday at his home at age 78, just as he would normally have been heading out to open the Lower Haight shop he founded in 1987, as the Chronicle reports. Vivian's death marks the end of an era for music lovers in the Bay Area and beyond, one where customers often came as much for his warmth and encyclopedic knowledge of soul, oldies, and girl-groups as they did for the records themselves.

As we reported last summer, Vivian had been diagnosed with Stage 3 pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment at UCSF, while also facing other health issues that required heart surgery. A fundraiser launched to help cover medical expenses drew an outpouring of support from musicians, DJs, collectors, fellow record store owners and longtime customers, ultimately raising more than $42,000.

During Vivian’s treatment, musician and former Rooky's employee, Nick Waterhouse, and two others kept the shop running, bringing Vivian in whenever he felt well enough to visit.

A 2013 profile in GQ described Vivian as “the man who will save your musical soul.” Vivian greeted first-time visitors and longtime customers with equal enthusiasm, steering them toward overlooked gems, swapping stories, and encouraging them to linger.

Musicians, DJs, collectors, and casual browsers alike made Rooky's a destination, helped along by its vintage decor and listening stations. Regulars often described the store as much more than a place to shop, with Waterhouse describing it as “a dreamy embodiment of whatever [Vivian] thinks people should get out of listening to records.”

“When you come in as a customer, he … immediately personalizes you,” Waterhouse told KQED last year. “He’s not chilly or distant. He brings you in closer by joking with you. He has a genuine curiosity about what you’re interested in.”

When news of Vivian’s illness became public last year, Vivian said he was overwhelmed by the community's response.

“I know I know a lot of people, but this is beyond my wildest dreams,” he said, speaking KQED. “As I'm sitting here waiting to know what's going to happen, it's really made a huge difference in my attitude. So I'm still laughing and being hilarious. Thank you, everybody.”

In announcing his death, Rooky's remembered Vivian as its "joke-teller, dancer, proprietor, host," along with the many other roles he filled in the lives of friends and customers. Plans for the future of the store have not yet been announced.

Rooky's reportedly survived multiple moves along the same Lower Haight block, along with steep rent increases, the pandemic, and other financial setbacks. The city added the shop to its Legacy Business Registry in 2017, recognizing both its role in the neighborhood's cultural life and Vivian's involvement in helping found the Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbors Association.

Before opening Rooky's, Vivian was already something of a local personality. Born in Walnut Creek, Vivian gained a regional following as a dancer on KOFY TV and later built a reputation in California's fine-dining scene, where his quick wit, sharp memory and playful sense of humor made him a memorable host and waiter, according to KQED.

GQ reported that Vivian found refuge in music as a shy child who struggled to fit in and was bullied throughout junior high, spending his weekly allowance on records and falling asleep to Top 40 radio.

The magazine also offered a glimpse into Vivian’s life away from the shop. Vivian, who was gay, had endured the loss of two former partners to AIDS and had lived in the Castro since the 1970s. His meticulously kept Victorian home reflected the same nostalgic spirit love of 20th Century culture as Rooky Ricardo's, filled with classic movie posters, vintage memorabilia, shelves of old films and a closet full of 45 rpm records.

Related: 'GQ' Profiles Lower Haight Record Store Icon Dick Vivian

Image: Rooky Ricardo’s/Facebook