Robert Paul Moore

Robert "Bob" Paul Moore AKA "Spacedog", 76, a widely respected musician, artist, and educator, died on January 20, 2026, in a fire in his home in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Known first and foremost as a musician, Bob was a defining presence in Oklahoma's music community for more than five decades and a mentor whose influence extended far beyond the stage.
Bob was born on January 17, 1950, in Mercedes, Texas. His family later settled in Abilene, Texas. Where he played nearly all sports offered, regularly attended the movies, and participated in Boy Scouts attaining Eagle rank at 13 years of age and attending the Jamboree in NYC during the 1964-1965 World's Fair. As a teenager he regularly traveled between Abilene and Oklahoma City, helping with family-owned businesses that included tractor sales, bicycle shops and Skate-O-Rama – a OKC skating rink with a mini golf course. These early years instilled a strong work ethic, even as Bob grew increasingly determined to pursue a life shaped by creativity rather than convention.
After graduating high school, Bob briefly attended college in Abilene before taking a semester at sea-an experience that was paramount to the formation of his world view as a global citizen on Spaceship Earth–and helped solidify his commitment to living deliberately and creatively. Beginning in the 1970s, Bob became a pillar of the Oklahoma music scene. As a founding member of the band Moon Dog (later Moon Dog Okiextreamist), he performed extensively throughout Oklahoma, across the lower 48, and Canada. Over the course of his career, his bands shared lineups with a remarkable range of artists including David Allan Coe, Michael Murphey, Vassar Clements, New Grass Revival, Asleep at the Wheel, Elvin Bishop, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Ray Wylie Hubbard and countless others. Bob remained an active and influential force in the music community through the end of his life, known as much for his storytelling and political wit as for his musicianship. He was a mentor to countless musicians, artists and curious souls, many of whom credit him with shaping not only their work, but their way of seeing and moving through the world. In addition to music, Bob worked across many artistic disciplines, including stagecraft, acting, producing, painting, stop-action animation and digital animation. While earning a Master's degree in Computer Animation from the University of Oklahoma he served as a teaching assistant, sharing his skills and knowledge with fellow students. He was deeply committed to arts education, eventually becoming an artist-in-residence teaching in partnership with the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma public schools. Introducing countless students to creative tools and ways of thinking. He took pride in never turning down an appointment, and often would volunteer for the schools labeled 'dangerous' because they were in poor areas, or alternative schools with 'troubled youth'. Including a short term as art teacher at Seaworth Academy, an alternative school in Oklahoma City. He approached his students with the utmost respect. A living embodiment of the Golden Rule, he adapted to what the students needed to feel comfortable – acting as a catalyst so they could tap into their natural born creativity. His students knew him as "Mr. Bob" – even his own children called him Bob, as he would say "it's my name".
Animals were central to Bob's life, and he treated them as kin. From a childhood that somehow included both a monkey and an alligator, to a lifetime spent caring for dogs, iguanas, goats, emus, and countless others. He lived as a friend and guardian of creatures, walking the world with an animist's respect for all living things. Bob was a familiar and comforting presence in everyday places-on sidewalks, street corners, Whataburgers, IHOPs, and late nights in Norman and the OKC Metro-where music, stories, and conversation often flowed as naturally as the wind through his three remaining dreadlocks. His presence became part of the rhythm of the community he loved. In his final years, Bob was quietly supported by a devoted circle of friends, neighbors, and family who ensured he was never alone and always cared for – despite his stubbornness, and abandoning all hope of him keeping a phone (and not breaking it).
Bob was married three times; each relationship left a beautiful and unique mark on his life and mattered deeply to him – helping to shape the person he became. He was the father of five children and is survived by Daniel Moore (Eva), Madeline Moore Rushman (Joshua Rushman), Carley Brown (Billy Brown), Chris Morgan, and Jordan Rohrback (Eben Rohrback); and by his grandchildren Elijah Morgan, Kinsey Brown, Vera Rushman, Aidan Rohrback and his great-grandchild Hope Morgan Yelton-Foster. He is also survived by his sister, Darlene "Sissy" Stevens.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Lawrence Moore and Flora Darline "Fussy" Schwarz.
Bob Moore, "Bobby" to those closest to him, will be remembered as a free spirit above all else-one who lived intentionally, taught generously, and believed deeply in the power of art, curiosity, and human connection. To honor Bob's memory, read widely, think independently, question what you're told, and never let curiosity be taken from you. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Robert, please visit our floral store.