 Long a fixture of the music and video scene in Nashville, Tennessee, he died of prostate cancer in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 65.Roberts was cast to type as a surfer in his film debut, playing the role of "Brad" in "The Beach Girls and the Monster" (subsequently also marketed as "Monster from the Surf" and "Surf Terror").Later hailed as a campy "laugh riot with lots of bongos, murders and girls in bikinis,", the film, starring Jon Hall and featuring a surf music soundtrack by Frank Sinatra Jr., was notably affected by budget limitations, and in post-production Roberts' dialogue was hurriedly overdubbed by another actor, obliterating the distinctive baritone that would become a hallmark of later performances.