Bruce Walker Dead; 5 Facts About Flying Possum Leather's Founder [VIDEOS]

Bruce Walker, whose meticulously crafted guitar straps adorned the necks of Willie Nelson, Conor Oberst and other stars, died today in a fire at his Flying Possum Leather shop in Fayetteville, Ark.

No one else was injured in the blaze, which began early this morning. KNWA reports that Walker was 57 years old.

We have five facts on the leather legend.

1. He'd been in business for over three decades
Flying Possum Leather opened in 1976 and never moved from its original location on Dickson Street.

2. He made more than guitar straps
Although Walker was nationally known for his guitar straps, thanks to his famous clientele, he was equally devoted to making custom sandals and leather belts.

3. He patented the Walker acoustic strap
In a 2009 profile, The Fayetteville Flyer described Walker's patented innovation for acoustic guitar straps: an extended design stabilizes the front of the guitar below the neck and eliminates the need to drill a hole for a peg in the base of the neck. Neil Young got the first Walker acoustic strap.

4. His dog Bugsy was a regular at Flying Possum
See for yourself, via this inside look at Flying Possum Leather right after its 30th anniversary. (Bugsy was reportedly uninjured in today's fire.)

5. He was always happy when customers dropped by
In December 2010, Matt Langlois visited Flying Possum to watch Walker in action and get a custom guitar strap made.