The prairies are a lot less melodious today: Gene Autry died at the age of 91, less than three months after the death of his "singing cowboy" rival Roy Rogers. Autry epitomized the image of the laid-back Western star, appearing in 95 films from 1934 to 1953. But his stardom reached beyond the big screen, where he was one of the top 10 box office favorites from 1940-42. He was also a phenomenally successful singer, selling more than 40 million copies of his records with such hits as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and his theme song, "Back in the Saddle Again."

Autry retired from performing in 1956 at the end of the six-year run of his television series, "The Gene Autry Show," and he began devoting himself to his various businesses. He owned TV stations and a hotel and dealt widely in real estate. In 1961 he became the original owner of the California Angels and routinely landed on Forbes' list of the 400 richest Americans. In 1988 he built the $54 million Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles, which presents exhibits about the history of the American West along with his collection of art and memorabilia. "I felt that I owed something," said Autry when the museum was built. "The West has been very kind to me over the years."

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