Durango’s favorite son(s) pass away at 52

DURANGO, Colo. — In Durango, Colorado, both Chris Bettin and Robert Kent Voss were local heroes. And both passed away on December 15, 2022. Chris was a very successful real estate businessman, former city council member and a major philanthropist supporting countless charities. Robert Kent Voss (or RKV as he was known to so many friends) was an Americana songwriter and musician who recorded with some of Nashville’s biggest session artists. The thing is, only one man died. 52-year-old Chris and RKV were alter egos of the same extraordinary person.

Full disclosure: this was a spectacular individual who I was proud to call my friend(s).

Two years ago, Rocky Mountain PBS featured a story about Chris called, “Stage Name.” It was produced, directed, shot and edited by a Fort Lewis College student, Will Langston. The film is about how Chris, who was adopted, created a complementary identity when he had to find his birth name.

“My stage name came from a situation when my son was born," Chris explained. "He had some genetic issues and I was adopted so didn’t really know what my genetic history was. So because [Dylan] had those issues, I went and did some research.”

It turned out that his birth name, Robert Kent Voss, felt authentic to the musical side of his life. As well as for a life so rich that it could not be labeled by only one moniker.

Chris/RKV died of a rare and devastating disease called large cell neuroendocrine cancer. In memory of this special guy, please take another look — and listen — to "Stage Name."