'Tennessee' King Dies

By Stephen M. Silverman

12/17/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

Frank "Pee Wee" King, 86, who co-wrote (with Redd Stewart) the "Tennessee Waltz" in 1947, died of a heart attack in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday. The two said they wrote the song on an unfolded matchbox while they were riding in Stewart's truck. Patti Page's version of the ditty sold 65 million copies. It became the official state song of Tennessee in 1965 . . . Shakespearean actor John Colicos, best known as the villain Count Baltar in the sci-fi series "Battlestar Galactica" (he also had a recurring role as a "Star Trek" Klingon), died Monday in Toronto after a series of heart attacks. He was 71.