Duane Elliott Hampton

1928 - 2021

Duane Elliott Hampton

Redding - January 29, 1928, to April 7, 2021

Duane was born and raised in Redding, California. He passed away at the young age of 93 years old. He died peacefully in his home that he designed and built 64 years ago. His dog Rori and his best friend, Vito, were by his side when he took his last breath. Other than the Kidney failure that took his life, Duane was a healthy, vibrant, marvel of a man until his final days. Thank heaven for small favors.

Duane was the youngest child of seven to his parents Charles Lafayette and Ethel Jones Hampton. He was also the last of the siblings to survive. Never married, Duane is survived by numerous close friends, his best friend of decades, Vito D'Aurora and several nieces and nephews.

There have been numerous biographies and articles written about Duane over the years. They can be found on the internet with ease, as he was quite famous in his field and a favorite child of Redding. He was most widely known as a child prodigy in music, especially the piano. He was discovered at a young age by the Paramount Cavalcade of Stars and began his lifelong career at an incredibly young age. He received his advanced degree from the Sherwood School of Music in Chicago in 1951, toured the country in concert with several national symphony orchestras, and finally settled back in Redding to have a long and successful career as a music instructor for Piano, violin, guitar, organ, harpsicord, and flute in both technique and composition. His students came from around the world to learn from Duane in little old Redding Town (as he affectionately called the town he loved). Duane taught individuals and Master classes until the Covid shutdown and was about to renew his efforts with the Hampton School of Music when he was taken from us in April. He started and sustained the musical career of hundreds of professional artists and had an estimated 7,000 students in his own teaching career. Amazing.

There were many aspects of his life and personality that transcend the all too familiar piano artist identity. He loved to entertain at his extraordinary home (a walk through his home was like a short visit to a fine museum or art gallery) and was a gourmet cook. One of his many libraries contains hundreds of classic cookbooks in which he could find a recipe almost by memory. He especially enjoyed his Christmas parties that consisted of food, drink, conversation, caroling, and piano exhibitions by Duane and other guests. As an aside, in Duane's student waiting room in his home, he still has a Christmas tree fully decorated that has been there for at least 20 years! Oh how he loved that holiday!!

He and his best friend would play two piano every evening, then sit down to hours of conversation. Topics ranged from the life and strategy of the likes of Bach and Chopin, to the ins and outs of Einstein's special and general theories of relativity and (especially) gravity. He never read a book without writing comments in the margins and elsewhere as the good, bad, and ugly content, grammar, and style. There was not a single book in any of his dozen or so libraries that was "comment-free". I often wondered where on earth he got all of his energy and expertise in so many topics. He could be exhausting but never overwhelming. We all say what a joy and blessing to have known him. He will be forever missed.

There will be a celebration of life for Duane Elliot sometime in the Fall. Duane preferred the cooler weather and this will give his loved ones the chance to come to grips with the incredible loss. His favorite charity is the Best Friends animal shelter in Utah, among many others. For information concerning the charity or his life celebration, please contact Vito D'Aurora at 530-605-1058 or email him at vito.daurora@chemexperts.com.

Wise, wonderful, kind, gentle and generous man. Rest in a well-deserved peace.