Robert Ernest Hite (February 26, 1943 – April 5, 1981) was the co-lead vocalist of the Americanblues and rockbandCanned Heat, from 1965 to his death in 1981. His nickname was "The Bear".
On April 5, 1981, during a break between sets at The Palomino Club in North Hollywood, Hite was handed a vial of heroin by a fan. He snorted it and fell into a coma, after which others unsuccessfully attempted to revive him with a large dose of cocaine. A group of roadies put Hite in a van and drove him to bandmate Fito de la Parra's home, where he died.[3][4]
^De La Parra, Fito. (2011). Living The Blues. Canned Heat's Story of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex and Survival, 3rd edition, pp. 216-218. ISBN978-1-4566-0332-8